What are the TOP 10 best aerial fighters in Smash Ultimate?

The Smash Bros franchise has always given its player base several different options of combat and characters to choose from. As the roster increases so does the potential moveset for each character and the different ways to play with these characters. 

Every character in Smash Bros Ultimate has two types of movesets, which are ground and aerial. For many characters, the ground moveset is the best option for combat since it normally removes the vulnerability that aerial combat produces. However some characters are better suited for aerial combat or are versatile in the air without the drawback of vulnerability when approaching the ground.

In most cases the risk with aerial combat is aerial mobility, move cooldown time, and landing lag. If a character has more than the standard two jumps they are more likely to have stronger aerial attacks.No matter whether a fighter is in the air or on the ground, every move comes with its own cool down time (the time between when a move ends and the player can make a move again). When finally landing on the ground characters may have an increased risk of stalling for a crucial second or two before being able to move or jump again. These three factors are the basis of the list that has been compiled of the best aerial combat fighters in all of Super Smash Bros Ultimate.

10. Ridley

Starting off the list is the newcomer from the Metroid series, Ridley. The versatility that Ridley has in battle is only increased when he is in the air or off the stage to the right or to the left. As a character with 3 jumps Ridley can avoid opponents attacks as well as prevent opponents from recovering to the stage because of the safety that he has in aerial combat. With almost no landing lag or cooldown times for aerial attacks, Ridley is a fearsome opponent in the air, but his recovery move is mainly vertical and mainly works as a recovery from under the ledge. If Ridley is too far to the left or the right then his recovery move becomes useless and he will fall to the blast zone. A recovery flaw for only vertical movement is the reason that Ridley is last on this list.

09. Joker

Next up is the leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts and the wielder of Arsene, Joker. As one of the most highly requested newcomers to the franchise Joker shocked audiences with being one of the only characters to have a recovery move that changed based on a limit. Typically Joker only has a grappling hook that will allow him to tether onto the ledge from a distance. However when a certain amount of damage is taken Joker will release his persona, Arsene. Along with increasing all of Joker’s base speed, jumping ability, and power when Joker uses his recovery move, Arsene sprouts its wings and flies Joker to the ledge. While this move doesn’t damage any foes, it is mostly invincible until the last frame of the flight. Joker is a fast character with little to no landing lag and almost no cooldown time between moves.

08. Daisy

Peach’s echo fighter, Daisy as well as Peach have the ability to float for 2.5 seconds as well as having a parasol that allows them to ascend into the air while hitting opponents that are above her. The parasol is invincible to almost every attack in the game and it gives peach and daisy a high level of movability in the air when descending. The main downside to Daisy is that her aerial moves make her extremely vulnerable if she misses because they have a higher cooldown time before she can make another move. Daisy also has the worst landing lag out of all the other fighters on this list however her near invincible recovery move and the power output applied to her aerial moves makes the gain outweigh the risk.

07. Young Link

Making his first appearance in a Smash Bros game since Melee is Young Link. Young Link is one of the 3 variations of Link that exist in Smash Bros Ultimate. With a variety of ground and aerial moves with a very small cooldown time between each attack makes Young Link a very versatile opponent. With so many options to attack, the power of each move varies. Special moves like fire arrows, the boomerang, and bombs stun opponents and can disrupt the opponents rhythm in battle but do such a small amount of damage until high percentages. His true strength is in the sword that he wields, however the sword has a very short range so Young Link has to be up close to do real damage to an opponent. Young Link has a very good multihit recovery that has different forms whether he is on the ground or in the air. The drawback is that if Young Link misses this recovery move he is left helpless as he falls back to the stage or towards the blast zone. 

06. Sonic

As the fastest character in the game, the blue blur known by the name Sonic is next on the list. The main drawback to having so much speed is the lower power output applied to each of these moves. Sonic can apply pressure to an opponent but being so small and so light he can be launched easily by other opponents that excel in ground combat. As a counter to these drawbacks, Sonic was given a majority of strong aerial attacks that can disorient opponents. Since only his backward aerial attack has a long cooldown time, Sonic can fire off several attacks while in the air. His recovery move is a spring as commonly seen in his games. It launches him vertically into the air but if the recovery move is used in the air the spring falls down and acts as a projectile that disrupts opponents. After springing into the air Sonic can still attack with any of his aerial moves but he is also vulnerable since he cannot jump or really control his movement until he touches the ground or grabs the ledge again.

05. Dark Pit

The echo fighter of Pit, Dark Pit joins the list at number 5. The reason why Dark Pit is on this list instead of Pit is because Dark Pit can perform 4 jumps and Pit can only jump 3 times. Other than that fact the two characters are basically clones except for Dark Pit’s Electroshock Arm attack which has a higher damage output than Pit’s Upperdash Arm. Also the two have different special attacks. Both arm types can be used for recovery and the super armor that each move has can allow them to power through attacks to get back to the stage. Dark Pit can attack multiple times in the air but each attack has a bit of cooldown time so he can be hit because of this short midair vulnerability. Dark Pit’s recovery move of flight is multidirectional but doesn’t hurt any character so it leaves Dark Pit vulnerable when recovering. If flight is used to get back onto the stage rather than to grab the ledge, Dark Pit has a bit of landing lag where he can get hit by an opponent.

04. Mr. Game & Watch

The representative of the The Game & Watch that is next on the list is Mr. Game & Watch. As one of the most versatile powerhouses in the game Mr. Game & Watch is one of the strongest aerial fighters who can deal the most damage from his midair attacks. He is most well known for his randomized hammer attack but his aerial moves can launch opponents just as easily. His riskiest move is the bomb that he drops as his forward aerial. It takes about a second to explode which is more than enough time for opponents to dodge the attack and follow up with their own. His backwards aerial is the multi hit snapping turtle. Similar to Daisy and Peach, Mr. Game & Watch has a recovery move where he deploys a parachute that gives him increased aerial mobility. This move is similar to Sonic or Mega Man’s recovery since he can still attack after using the parachute. The main drawback to Mr. Game & Watch is that many of his moves have a higher cooldown time and his horizontal speed in the air isn’t fast in comparison to other characters.

03. Meta Knight

The pilot of the Halberd, Meta Knight is one of the few characters with more than the standard two jumps. He can perform a total of five jumps. When he finally comes back down to land, there is very little landing lag and when paired with his fast horizontal movement speed on the ground and in the air, Meta Knight can apply pressure to opponents without worrying about vulnerability. Meta Knight primarily attacks with his sword at a close distance because of the size of the blade. His attacks are fast but lack the power that some of his slower attacks possess. Aside from his sword drill, Meta Knight’s sword attacks barely have any cooldown time between attacks. Meta Knight’s 4 strongest attacks are his four most vulnerable as well. His teleport is strong but has a very limited attack range. It can be used as a recovery move, dodge, or attack but all of these options leave a second of vulnerability for opponents to attack if they are not hit or are close by. Meta Knight’s recovery move is almost instantaneous and is one of the fastest attacks in the game. It hits the target twice but also leaves Meta Knight very vulnerable to attacks since he can’t attack after he uses it unless he grabs the ledge, gets hit, or lands back on the stage. His vulnerable moves are the reason that he is not further up on this list.

02. Jigglypuff

The runner up is the pink puffball that can put anyone to sleep with the sound of her voice, Jigglypuff. As one of the few characters with 5 jumps. She has higher aerial speed than ground speed. The only aerial moves Jigglypuff has that have an increased cooldown time are her upward aerial and her side special. With having a fast horizontal speed Jigglypuff has the ability to keep attacking opponents offstage without worry for recovery. The two main drawbacks to Jigglypuff are that she is so light and is the easiest fighter to launch and that she has no recovery move. This only becomes an issue if Jigglypuff is below the stage and uses all of the 5 jumps. When playing the aerial game with Jigglypuff it is important to avoid moves that spike and try to chase an opponent below the stage rather than to the sides of the stage.

01. Kirby

The pink star warrior Kirby absorbs the competition. Kirby has 5 jumps with aerial attacks that either launch, spike or combo opponents. Most of his moves have no landing lag. Kirby’s forward aerial is best used to combo into ground attacks that can launch opponents and rack up damage. His downward arial spikes opponents and has a very low cooldown time especially when landing so this attack can be used as a combo starter as well. His upward aerial has almost no cooldown time but can be used to keep opponents in the air or to set up for stronger moves. His backward aerial is used to launch opponents and has a very small cooldown time. Kirby isn’t too floaty and his horizontal midair speed isn’t amazing so he has to use multiple jumps to cross a distance which can impede on the damage he can do off stage. Kirby’s recovery uses a sword that makes him soar upwards then plummet downward. It has 3 possible hits with an opportunity to spike the opponent if it is done offstage. The best way to use this attack is for distancing when trying to get back on the stage. When hitting the ground the sword launches a cutting projectile that doesn’t do a huge amount of damage but can push back an opponent allowing for a safe recovery with very little landing lag.

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