Who are the best Heavy Fighters in Smash Ultimate?

These titans weight a ton and are hard to knock offstage, shrugging off hits when lighter Fighters wince in pain at Smash Attacks. While Pichu loses a stock at 82% easily from Snake’s Up-Tilt Attack, these Fighters can live beyond 150% like a breeze. While big and easy to hit, they are the powerhouses of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. 

Heavy Fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate are often chosen by Smashers who like to hit hard and live longer. While their moves launch opponents farther, they are mostly slower and their most powerful attacks often have significant end-lag, putting them in a bad spot if they miss. To these Smashers, the trade-off is worth it anyway.

Having personally fought highly skilled Smashers who use these Fighters as their mains, secondaries, or a fun pocket, I have compiled this tier list of the top 10 Heavy Fighters in Smash Ultimate. Please note that individual skill is more important than the Fighters themselves, but this list is my attempt to be as objective as I can. I am also ranking the ten heaviest Fighters in the game, and thus some popular picks like Wario will not be featured.

10. Ganondorf

Ganondorf ranks at tenth because when compared to other Heavy Fighters, he just cannot keep up with them. While he is not the best Fighter, he does have his advantages. They include a potent ledgetrap game, edgeguard game, and the ability to simply obliterate opponents with a single read.

As part of the bruiser archetype, Ganondorf has no projectiles and relies solely on melee attacks. This requires the Smasher to space and time attacks carefully or missing the opponent will result in a painful punish. His strong Aerial Attacks, Smash Attacks, Side Special (Flame Choke), and Tilt Attacks are all very powerful ledgetrapping tool, and he can even edgeguard with all five of his Aerial Attacks with no problem. 

Ganondorf has some painful combos, though what he excels in is hard reads and baiting. With patience and knowledge, he can bait out a mistake and secure the kill very quickly. The result of this is a sort of fear factor that makes even the most seasoned Smasher quake in fear when up against a skilled Ganondorf.

Overall, what makes Ganondorf good is that he has powerful moves. He enjoys much representation, however, and the fear factor of facing a skilled representative like Rickles and Litany is much higher. This fear factor alone makes him a mighty adversary. 

09. Piranha Plant

The Mario enemy commonly found in the Mushroom Kingdom takes the ninth spot on this list. Having decent projectiles and ranged options, it can force even the most aggressive Roy main to back off. With a moveset dedicated to positioning and zoning, Piranha Plant is better suited to a more defensive playstyle. 

Piranha Plant is a zoner, which means that it possesses attacks that can hit from afar. These include Neutral Special (Ptooie), Side Special (Poison Breath), and Down Special (Long-Stem Strike). Aside from some average melee attacks, Piranha Plant will do much better when zoning and camping the opponent at range, though with training its close-range options can also deal some decent damage. 

Its Aerial Attacks aren’t the best, and its Tilt Attacks are the same. While they do deal decent damage and can be good options to get opponents off it, Piranha Plant does not have much of an up-close game when it is in neutral and disadvantage. This makes zoning the better option instead.

While initially seen as a meme, many detractors were silenced when Brood managed to get second place with it at Umebura SP4, shocking the entire world. However, no one has been able to achieve such a high placement with it ever since. Dedicated mains of the Fighter like Lucky still manage to perform well with it, leaving its viability up to debate.

08. Bowser Jr. 

Technically, what makes this son of Bowser (and the other Koopalings) heavy is the Junior Clown Car he rides. His moveset is unique, relying on quick hit-and-run tactics and trapping. Bowser Jr. is slightly underrated, in my opinion, as he can be versatile and unpredictable.

With two projectiles and some rather quick attacks, Bowser Jr. can be played in a bait-and-punish style as well as a zoner style. His Neutral Special (Clown Cannon) is very strong and Down Special (Mechakoopa) can combo into an Aerial Attack. His Neutral Attack kills surprisingly early and his Aerials and Forward Smash are quite safe and quick, with the latter almost unpunishable on shield.

Bowser Jr’s combo game is terrifying, as he can string multiple Aerial Attacks into each other from a Side Special (Clown Kart Dash) hit or a hit from Down Special. I was hit with a combo dealing around 80% once when I played my friend meeb, a skilled Bowser Jr. main. He also showed me how his projectiles can be very annoying to avoid, displaying great skill in trapping and zoning before going in to start combos.

What makes Bowser Jr. good is his combo game and oftentimes matchup inexperience. With very little representation, only a few Smashers know how to fight Jr. mains. This is one way they net upsets, as even Fatality, the best Captain Falcon main and ranked in the PGRU, was upset by a Bowser Jr. once.

07. Donkey Kong

The iconic ape of video games is a very scary Fighter when in the right hands. While held back by almost every move being unsafe on shield and a poor recovery option, Donkey Kong can wreak havoc and take stocks in as few as three hits. His speed and power should not be taken lightly, because you might be dead before you know it.

Donkey Kong thrives off hard reads and overwhelming his opponents. To this effect, his Side Throw, Kong Karry (commonly called Cargo Throw), can further throw the opponent in four directions, and doing so at the right damage can net a guaranteed Up Aerial Attack. His Back Aerial is also very quick and can kill remarkably early.

His Special Moves are also very deadly. Neutral Special (Giant Punch) can kill very early, Side Special (Headbutt) buries opponents, Down Special (Hand Slap) can spike them offstage and combo into Up Smash, and Up Special (Spinning Kong) has super armor when grounded. In short, his toolkit makes him a bruiser as well, though infused with grappler aspects.

Being a scary opponent when he manages to get in, Donkey Kong is very feared throughout the community. My friend ECALIS used to main him, though after some events had decided to drop him. However, dedicated DK mains like Runes (who upset KEN the Japanese Sonic), DKwill, and Konga continue to stick to their Fighter.

06. Incineroar

In my opinion only slightly better than Donkey Kong, Incineroar is a very hard-hitting and slow Fighter, but while Donkey Kong is focused on strikes, Incineroar has a much more rewarding grappling game. His strikes are no joke, however, as Down Special can make magic happen. 

Having very strong attacks and throws, Incineroar can deal massive amounts of damage quickly. What makes these moves hard-hitting is Down Special (Revenge). By absorbing damage (can stack), he can deal extra damage on select attacks, and most of them happen to be his kill options, giving him insane power.

Being a grappler, Incineroar’s throws are among the best in the game, as is his Side Special (Alolan Whip), which can kill very early when coupled with Revenge. His Neutral Special (Darkest Lariat) is strong, fast, and has invincibility when at the start. This makes him very scary to approach, as one wrong move can spell your doom instantly.

While not the best when caught offstage or at trying to land, if you let Incineroar get maximum revenge, you will most likely be dead in seconds. His reputation makes opponents hesitate, and that is what he wants. Having fought a good Incineroar many times personally, I believe he is capable in the hands of great Smashers like Magister and Nea, a Japanese friend of mine. 

05. King K. Rool

The rotund King of the Kremlings, King K. Rool is often the subject of memes and hate, because many Smashers opt to play lame, as the community says. Possessing good ranged options, strong attacks, and super armor, he is now higher on the list as a result of the improvements coming with version 8.0.0. 

Possessing armor on his belly moves and Side Special (Crownerang), King K. Rool can go through opponents’ attacks, though belly armor can be broken if used up. His melee attacks are also strong, and his Down Throw buries opponents, confirming into Smash Attacks. His Neutral Special (Blunderbuss) can fire a cannonball and suck opponents in as well. 

In between a zoner and a bruiser, King K. Rool can play both farther away and up close. His projectiles are very hard to punish, and his grappling game is excellent. While he is slow and can be overwhelmed and hit repeatedly, he can dish out damage easily to regain the lead.

Having a better recovery than most Heavy Fighters, King K. Rool is still not very good on the all-Fighters tier list. However, on this tier list of the Heavies, he is quite useful and can pull off many good combos and tricks. Ben Gold from Australia is at the front of all K. Rools, and my friend Mossagon taught me a lesson or three with him as well.

04. King Dedede

The large, self-appointed King of Dreamland voiced by Masahiro Sakurai himself, King Dedede is up in fourth place. His peculiar brand of trapping makes him very annoying to deal with, and he is blessed with a very good recovery and long-ranged melee attacks. Strong and capable of reaching out, he is a very confusing Fighter to face if you don’t have any experience against him.

King Dedede’s Side Special (Gordo Throw) is not very easy to counter, as the Gordo travels a very strange path and can lead to highly damaging combos when it hits more than twice somehow. His melee moves are generally slow and powerful, though they have some range. However, his dash attack is the strongest in the game, though it is very sluggish.

Being a trapper, King Dedede is mostly forced to try tricking opponents into getting hit by Gordos before pressing advantage. With his strong aerials, he can seal the stock quickly, even if approaching is terrible for him. His ledgetrapping is somehow top tier, as most of the time, only he knows what he’s doing and what purpose his traps can accomplish.

A very weird Heavy Fighter (3rd heaviest!), King Dedede is not very popular, though there are some diehard mains out there. ZAKI from Japan is currently the best in the world, Peli from England is right behind him. Having faith in their Fighter’s bizarre moveset and aspects, these Smashers continue to blaze trails for him.

03. Charizard 

As one of the three Pokémon that the Pokémon can summon, Charizard is full of surprises, as he was initially laughed off due to his stats. However, Smashers have come to realize that Charizard’s kill power and mobility are nothing to scoff about. He has a very good advantage state to accompany that as well. 

Most Heavy Fighters suffer from slowness, but Charizard is rather quick on his feet. He has very strong Aerial Attacks, Smash Attacks, and a very terrifying Side Special (Flare Blitz) that has claimed many a game and Smasher’s mentality. Having a ranged Neutral Special (Flamethrower) that can ledgetrap and deal sustained damage is a plus as well.

Falling under the bruiser archetype with some zoning, Charizard is very good up close but suffers from a terrible approach. To mitigate this, he can bait and force approaches with Flamethrower or catch the opponent overextending. Offensive or defensive, Charizard can do it all.

Initially slightly underused, many Pokémon Trainer mains are embracing the heavy Pokémon now, incorporating skillful use of his tools when they are at high damage for the extra knockback from rage. The young prodigy DDee believes in Charizard, calling him the best Pokémon in contrast to many others. Puppeh also has a fondness for the Heavy Fighter.

02. Samus/Dark Samus

(Note that both Fighters are essentially identical)

Didn’t expect to see her here, huh? Samus is quite heavy despite her floaty air properties, which allow her to zone and engage aerial opponents easily. She also happens to have an excellent close-range game.

Samus is the textbook ranged Fighter in all of Smash, having appeared since 64 using her Neutral Special (Charge Shot), Side Special (Missile), and Down Special (Bomb) to keep the opponent away from her. She can even combo with these moves, killing off a projectile with her Aerial Attacks or Dash Attack. Up close her Tilt Attacks and Up Special (Screw Attack) out of shield are swift and hit hard.

Definitely a zoner, right? Samus keeps opponents out with projectiles and chips away at their stock, all without really having to approach. Unlike the traditional zoner of traditional fighting games, she can still fight hand-to-hand with quick, fleeting attacks, further frustrating the opponent. 

Samus is extremely versatile and considered a high-tier. On this tier-list, she ranks second as she can be played however you want. quiK, YB, and Joker (not the Fighter) are the best in the Samus/Dark Samus mains in the world (in descending order), proving that she is worthy of second place on this list.

01. Bowser

Well, you probably saw this coming, but Bowser is indeed the best Heavy Fighter in Ultimate. Capable of surviving hard hits and hitting back harder, Bowser is also too fast for his own good, letting him chase others down. As the King of Heavies, he is first and best on this tier-list.

All of Bowser’s moves are either kill moves or can combo into them. His Smash Attacks, Forward Tilt Attack, Up Tilt Attack, Side Special Attack (Flying Slam), and Down Special Attack (Bowser Bomb) are all terrifyingly strong, the last one being able to break all shields. He also has a Frame 6 out-of-shield option in the form of Up Special Attack (Whirling Fortress), making him frustrating to fight.

As a bruiser with ranged Neutral Special Attack (Fire Breath), Bowser is strangely blessed with above-average ground speed. He is the heaviest Fighter in the game and shrugs Smash Attacks off easily. That aside, he can be gimped offstage, but he is extremely durable overall.

The best of the Heavies, Bowser is well-deserving of his title and placing. Not only can he kill easily, but he is hard to kill. LeoN proves this by taking sets from other highly ranked Smashers, and other Bowser mains like Lunamado and Mew2King have done very well.

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