Ness/Super Smash Bros.

This article is about Ness's appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series. For his appearance in the Mother series, see Ness.

Ness (ネス Nesu) is a character who appears in every installment of the Super Smash Bros. series to date. He originally appeared in EarthBound, the second title of the Mother series.

In Super Smash Bros.

Ness in Super Smash Bros.

Ness was, in part, a surprise addition to the roster for the original Super Smash Bros. Many players had never expected such an obscure character to turn up in the game, which seems to be reflected in-game as he is a secret character who must be unlocked in order to be played as. Strangely, none of Ness's Special Moves are canon to EarthBound; the PSI Magnet, PK Fire and PK Thunder were originally used by his partner Paula Polestar in the game. A possible explanation for this discrepancy is offered in the sequel to this game, Super Smash Bros. Melee, which states that Paula may have taught him these techniques.

Ness is ranked ninth in the Smash World Forums competitive tier list for Super Smash Bros. He is distinguished from the other characters due to his unique second and third jumps and, along with Yoshi, the ability to double jump cancel, allowing him to use aerials very close to the ground. There is no Earthbound-themed stage in the game, but he is fought on the Kirby-themed Dream Land stage when he appears as a challenger.

Description

Ness was a seemingly-average kid from Onett, but in truth, he was destined for much more. When a strange meteorite landed near his hometown, the little boy with psychic powers set out to save the world. Little has been said of Ness's character, and much remains hidden.

Works: EarthBound (SNES)

Unlocking Ness

To unlock Ness, the player must clear 1P Game on normal difficulty with a stock of three lives, without using a Continue. Succeeding in doing so will challenge the player to defeat Ness, where victory will result in unlocking the character.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Abusable grab, in terms of both speed and power
• Can absorb projectiles
• Can juggle well
• Can double jump cancel
• Fast roll
• Grabs have great knockback
• Has many invincibility frames during recovery
• Has multiple shield break combos
• Powerful Forward Smash

Cons

• Easily intercepted when using his third jump
• Lacks a reliable aerial approach
• Light and floaty, thus easy to knock-out
• PK Thunder and PK Fire have large ending lag
• Situational Up and Down Smashes

Normal moves

Standard attacks

• A – Jab, 2%
• AA – One-two punch, 4%
• Rapid A – One-two punch and side kick, 8%

Tilt attacks

• Forward A – Roundhouse kick, 10%
• Up A – Two-handed open-palm uppercut, 7%
• Down A – Low kick, 7%
• Down rapid A – Rapid low kick, 3% per kick

Smash Attacks

• Forward smash – Homerun swing,7-18%
• Up smash – Yo-yo semicircle, 7-17%
• Down smash – Yo-yo back and forth, 8-19%

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial – Split kick, 14%
• Forward aerial – Two-handed open-palm lunge, 12%
• Up aerial – Headbutt, 15%
• Back aerial – Back kick, 16%
• Down aerial – Meteor smash kick, 15%

Throws

• Forward throw – 16%
• Backward throw – 16%

Other

• Dash attack – 12%

Special Moves

• Neutral B – PK Fire
• Up B – PK Thunder
• Down B – PSI Magnet

Combos, tricks and tactics

• Ness's double jump cancels allow him to do a wide range of tricks, such as a double jump canceled down aerial shield break, double jump canceled forward aerial chains, and double jump canceled spikes on the edge. Though double jump canceling is extremely effective and powerful in its own right, relying only on it is not very efficient. For a great Ness, one must utilize both his ground attacks and aerial attacks to their full potential.
• When Ness hits himself with PK Thunder, he will rocket in the opposite direction from which he was hit. This is both his triple jump and an incredibly powerful move - when Ness collides into someone with this move, the opponent takes high damage and suffers critical knockback. It can also be used as a shield break combo move.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

Ness in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Ness is a default character, and is currently ranked twenty-second in the Melee Back Room's competitive tier list. He can make use of all of his Special Moves from the previous game and, as all other Smash veterans, gains a fourth one: PK Flash, which is assigned as his Neutral B move. PK Flash is Ness's first "true" special attack, as his other two offensive moves were not used by him in EarthBound. PK Fire was changed to Ness's Forward B move. His home stages in the game are Onett and Fourside.

Unlike Captain Falcon, who also made the transition from unlockable to default character with little difference, Ness's fighting ability was vastly decreased at a competitive level, much to the dismay of his fans.

Announced at E3 2001, Ness was originally going to be replaced by Lucas from EarthBound 64, but because the game was canceled, it was decided Ness reprise his appearance for Melee.

Trophy description

Ness is a young boy who's mastered the psychic power known as PSI. Ness was living a normal life in the suburbs of Onett until a meteor crashed into a nearby mountain and sent him on a wild adventure. Believing in the ultimate powers of wisdom, courage, and friendship, Ness proves that some heroes come in small packages.

• Earthbound (06/95)

Pros and cons

Pros

• All throws are useful
• Effective, as well as lowest double jump cancel
• Decent comboing ability with Double-jump Cancelling.
• Largest ledge sweetspot range
• Long recovery
• Powerful forward smash; can deflect projectiles
• Recovery can curve on walls, such as at Final Destination

Cons

• Extremely low grab range
• Poor approach
• Human Missile has some ending lag
• Easily gimpable recovery
• Low range and priority on Down Special Move
• Poor down and up smash attacks
• Slow Special Moves
• Slow without advanced techniques
• Can be killed at low percents

Normal moves

Standard attacks

• A – Hook, 1-3%
• AA – Straight, 1-2%
• Rapid A – Kick, 2-4%

Tilt attacks

• Forward A – Short kick, 6-11%
• Up A – Push up, 3-7%
• Down A – Squat kick, 1-3%

Smash Attacks

• Forward smash – Home Run Swing, 9-32%
• Up smash – Walk the Dog, 3-25%
• Down smash – Around the World, 3-22%

Aerial attacks

• Neutral aerial – Ness spin, 4-11%
• Forward aerial – Flying PK Shove, 1-15%
• Up aerial – Jumping Headbutt, 7-13%
• Back aerial – PK Drop Kick, 5-16%
• Down aerial – Meteor Kick, 6-12%

Throws

• Pummel – Captive Headbutt, 1-3%
• Forward throw – PK Throw, 6-11%
• Backward throw – Reverse PK Throw, 6-11%
• Up throw – Cowboy PK Throw, 5-10%
• Down throw – PK Inferno, 1-8%

Other

• Dash attack – PK Shove, 2-12%

Special Moves

• Neutral B – PK Flash
• Smash B – PK Fire
• Up B – PK Thunder
• Down B – PSI Magnet

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Ness in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Ness returns in the latest installment of the Super Smash Bros. series, Super Smash Bros. Brawl where, like the first game, he appears as an unlockable character. He is currently ranked twenty-sixth out of thirty-seven characters on the Brawl tier list, due in no small part to a glitch which allows him and Lucas to be thrown indefinitely, dubbed the Infinite Chaingrab. His home stage in the game is Onett, which appears as a "Melee Stage".

Trophy description

An average boy whose life changed when he found a meteor and an alien on a nearby mountain. The alien warned him of a future threat, and adventure ensued. He can use psychic energy known as PSI and also wields a baseball bat and yo-yo. This brave youth gives his all to defeat the evil Giygas.

• Earthbound (1995)

Unlocking Ness

To unlock Ness, the player must get Ness to join your party in The Subspace Emissary, or play five Brawl matches or reflect 10 projectiles. Succeeding in doing either of the latter will challenge the player to defeat Ness, where victory will result in unlocking the character. Succeeding in doing the former will automatically unlock Ness.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Back aerial has a powerful sweet-spot
• Can absorb many projectiles with Down Special Move, restoring health, and can reflect any projectile with forward smash
• Dash attack can set up for aerial combos
• Down aerial is a spike
• Excellent dash-grab and powerful throws
• Forward aerial is a quick, disjointed, multi-hit attack with decent knockback on the end
• Forward smash has long range, high knockback, decent damage, and a sweet-spot at the tip of the bat; in addition, it can reflect projectiles
• Large second jump
• PK Fire racks up damage quickly
• PK Flash can knock-out at average percent when fully charged
• PK Thunder 2 (Up Special Move recovery) has long range and high knockback
• Side Special Move has a great wavebounce
• Small target
• Strong throws, especially his back throw
• Three projectiles of varying usefulness
• Up aerial now a good finisher
• Up and Down smashes damage while charging
• Up and down smashes deal damage while charging and can also block projectiles while charging
• Up smash can set up for aerial combos and kill at higher percentages

Cons

• Fairly fragile character
• PK Flash and Thunder can leave you open
• Smashes are on the slow side
• PK Flash has limited usefulness due to its slow speed and obviousness
• PK Thunder can be intercepted, gimping his recovery, and requires specific conditions to work properly (for example, no trenches)
• PK Thunder has some ending lag
• Short standing grab range
• Up and Down Smashes are weak (but much stronger when compared to their Melee counterparts)

Changes from Melee to Brawl

• Back aerial is slightly weaker and has smaller sweet-spot compared to Melee version
• Back throw slightly more powerful
• Down spike is faster
• Dash grab has excellent range
• Forward throw sends foes at a higher angle
• Forward smash produces a "CRAAAACK!!" sound, similar to a baseball bat hitting a baseball, when connecting with the opponent instead of the echoing "PIIIING!!" sound from Melee
• Fully charged, PK Flash deals about 2% more damage than in Melee
• Ness's PSI Magnet can be canceled with an Up smash, jump, grab or spot dodge
• New yo-yo design
• No double jump cancel (except with special moves)
• No more lag in final of Human Missile
• PK Fire activates faster
• PK Flash activates faster and charges and travels further, but is less controllable in horizontal direction; also, it goes further down than where it starts, doesn't activate automatically once it hits the ground, and hits in a smaller radius, therefore having to make a short jump into the air to have it activate close to where it was started
• PK Thunder travels tighter, making it easier to hit self
• PK Thunder 2 is much deadlier, almost as powerful as in Super Smash Bros., but still has same range as in Melee
• PSI Magnet will shove opponents upon ending the move if they get too close
• Running grab animation no longer has Ness leaning forward hopping if missed
• No yo-yo glitch
• Up aerial now quite low-range, but much more powerful, and can be used as a finisher.
• Up and Down Smashes are stronger, have greater knockback and are able to kill at high percentages,though they are still the weaker smashes in Ness's arsenal
• Victory theme changed from an orchestrated version of the second half of "Soundstone Melodies" (from EarthBound) to a sped-up section of the title screen theme in Mother

Standard Moves

Ground Attacks

Normal

• Neutral Attack - Jabs twice and kicks.
• Dash Attack - Sends three sparks out in front of him with the third spark knocking the opponent up into the air.
• Strong Side - Kicks out in front of him. Can be tilted upward or downward.
• Strong Up - Raises his hands, which grow large, up into the air.
• Strong Down - Ness crouches and very quickly kicks out in front of him. The quickest Strong Down attack and one of the quickest attacks in the game.

Smash

• Side Smash - Ness swings his bat. The bat has a sweet-spot at the tip of it. Similar to Lucas's Forward Smash, but with a slower start-up time, much more power, and a longer range. One of Ness's best killing moves. Also functions as a reflector when timed right.
• Up Smash - Ness sends his yo-yo forward and performs "around-the-world" over himself, with the yo-yo ending behind him before he pulls it back. If connected properly, the opponent hit by the forward yo-yo will then be sent up to be hit by the swinging yo-yo and then sent up into the air.
• Down Smash - Ness sends his yo-yo backwards and "walks-the-dog" with it before pulling the yo-yo back.

Aerial Attacks

• Neutral Air - Spins diagonally in the air with arms outstretched. A single hit with moderate knockback.
• Forward Air - Ness sticks out his palms in front sending a stream of PK sparks in front of him. Very similar to his dash attack and is an excellent at disrupting opponents.
• Back Air - Kicks out backwards with both feet. Has a sweet-spot that could, if landed correctly, send the opponent a fair amount of horizontal distance while electrified. One of Ness's killing moves.
• Up Air: Headbutts up into the air. High knockback and can Star KO at moderate percents, another of Ness's killing moves.
• Down Air - Ness pulls his legs to his body before stomping down into the air. This attack can meteor smash but has a lot of start-up lag.

Grabs and Throws

• Grabs - Ness's standing grab has fairly short range but little lag. His dash-grab has a large range without much increase in lag over the standing grab.
• Pummel - Ness pummels the opponent with headbutts that deal a max of 2%.
• Forward Throw - Ness psycho-kinetically swings his opponent in a small circle in front of himself before sending them off forward. The knockback of this throw is not set, but does not increase with damage at an expected rate: it changes from Ness's best throw to his worst as the enemy's damage increases. However this throw can score cheap KOs on walk off stages.
• Back Throw - Psycho-Kinetically swings the opponent over his head before sending them off backwards, in a diagonally upwards motion. The strongest throw in the game.
• Up Throw - Psycho-Kinetically spins the opponent above his head before sending them up.
• Down Throw - Throws his opponent down and psycho-kinetically shoots out fire onto his opponent.

Special Moves

• Neutral B – PK Flash
• Smash B – PK Fire
• Up B – PK Thunder
• Down B – PSI Magnet
• Final Smash – PK Starstorm

Role in The Subspace Emissary

Ness shows up saving Lucas from the giant King P. statue, which is soon revealed to be his nemesis, Pokey Minch. Both Lucas and Ness team up and defeat Pokey and his machine. Afterwards, Wario attacks him with his Dark Cannon, but Ness successfully dodges each shot. Wario, however, then aims at Lucas, forcing Ness to push Lucas out of harm's way and take the trophy-izing arrow from the Dark Cannon. As Lucas is too scared to face Wario, he leaves Ness behind as Wario cackles in the rain.

As Wario is driving his cargo with Ness and a princess's trophies on board, he finds Luigi's trophy and prepares to take it until he's ambushed by an army of Waddle Dees, who throw Luigi's trophy into the cargo, which is stolen by King Dedede. At his hideout, Dedede puts a badge on Luigi, Ness, and the princess' trophies before the roof collapses on them and Bowser takes the princess's trophy.

Later on, he and Luigi are revived, thanks to the Dedede Badges. Upon inspecting Luigi's badge, he notices that it looks like Dedede, and, assuming that Dedede made them, proceeds to revive him. Upon being revived, King Dedede gives both of them a thrust before they team up and rescue Lucas and the others in order to defeat Tabuu.

Snake's codec message

• Colonel: "That kid... isn't that Ness?"
• Snake: "Ness?"
• Colonel: "He may look like a mere boy, but don't let that fool you. He has PSI abilities that defy all scientific explanation."
• Snake: "Just like Psycho Mantis..."
• Colonel: "Exactly. He can use teleportation, levitation, pyrokinesis and psychokinesis."
• Snake: "Yeah, but the question is, can he read minds?"
• Colonel: "Not to my knowledge, no."
• Snake: "Good. Then I won't have to worry about him predicting my every move."
• Colonel: "Even if he had telepathic powers, I don't think he'd use them to mess with you like that. I hear he's a good kid."

Combos, tricks and tactics

• After hitting a target with PK Fire, you can often get a free forward smash on them as they are immobilized, dealing a total of 40 or more damage.
• Having a second Ness or Lucas as a teammate in Team Brawls will allow players to heal each other easily (using PK Freeze, PK Flash, PK Fire, PK Thunder or PSI Magnet) provided that Friendly Fire is on.
• Since it is so slow, PK Flash is almost useless in regular combat, but can be used to cover Ness in case of enemies dropping from above. It is also very good for edgeguarding, but only in one-on-one matches (any more than one-on-one, and Ness may be attacked while vulnerable).
• Use PK Fire on an opponent when an they are over a pit or over the edge. They will sometimes (at lower damages or when playing larger characters) be unable to escape the pillar of flame as it falls and will fall to their death.
• Use PK Fire to set off Blast Boxes and other ordinance from a safe distance, and try to get opponents caught in the blast.
• Use PK Thunder to interrupt the recovery of characters like Pit, or to interrupt Lucas or another Ness while they steer PK Thunder into themselves to recover. They will be put in a helpless state and fall to their doom. You can also use PK Thunder to cancel out other PK Thunder attacks - useful for gimping other EB characters

Special movements

Taunts

• Up – Turns to the screen, nods and says "Okay" (as in Super Smash Bros. and Melee).
• Side – Poses with his bat, Babe Ruth style.
• Down – Waves PK shots from his fingers in the air.

On-screen appearance

• Teleports using PK Teleport and shakes off some soot after crashing into the stage.

Wii Remote choice

• Says "Okay."like his taunt.

Victory pose

• Jumps up and down twice, swinging his arms, before quickly nodding twice towards the screen with arms akimbo.
• Looks to his sides quickly before facing the screen, putting his hand on the back of his head.
• Swings his bat many times before holding the bat with his right hand, outstretched and pointing diagonally upwards.

Trivia

• In Snake's codec-message about Ness, Colonel claims, Ness was incapable of using telepathy. This is not necessarily true since he has often used Telepathy in Earthbound to read animals thoughts, though not the thoughts of other humans.
• Ness cannot charge his down smash while on the edge of any platform.
• Ness closes one eye while performing his forward smash, while Lucas closes both eyes.
• Ness has a noticeable accent, especially when he says "PK Fire!" and "PK Flash!", leading many to believe that he is saying "PK Plus", "PK Pulse!", "PK Flush!", etc. which sounds amusing.
• Ness is one of the only five characters to have a speaking role in The Subspace Emissary. He says "PK Flash!" and "PK Thunder!".
• Ness relies on his PSI powers far less than Lucas, using them only for his specials, throws, dash attack, and forward aerial. His back aerial also seems PSI powered if it connects. Lucas uses his PSI powers for up and down smashes, all specials, all aerials, all throws, his dash attack and forward and up tilts.
• Ness was confirmed to reprise his appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl through a leaked sticker screenshot.