There are a lot of Smash Ultimate Tier lists, but there’s not one Definitive tier list. So, I thought I’d make one by combining various sources. So I took the latest Smash Bros Reddit tier list (compiled by user bluescluestoptier), the latest tier list based entirely on tournament results,(compiled by user FunBuns_Unicrons), and a tier list based on matchup charts (compiled by user SwagGuy99 based on top player’s opinions of each character).
The individual spreadsheets are here (please note that I combined these lists at the end of 2021, the spreadsheets below may have been updated after I aggregated):
Reddit Tier list – https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1omqFGeDgfxfEO4M_9qUWmqYsgoq7Dd3BN8LQdJmC_bM/edit#gid=0
Competitive Results Tier list – https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zTKrF1HOv70Pp8xdJKrRQy3QiMYKLTCstoVNgxymt0o/edit#gid=643969199
Matchup Chart Tier list – https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16HTsaN8Tl_ZV4mQg7vp24BdmjVESj7LLam0rbJqoSyU/edit#gid=923049606
I think this list is definitive because it includes raw objective data (competitive results), professional opinions and matchup spread (matchup chart tier list), and the opinions of superfans (Reddit tier list). I think the problem with looking at just one website’s, professional Smasher’s, or even a stats-based tier list is there is going to be at least a few characters that are slightly skewed. They’re going to be in the “wrong” tier for whatever reason. I think aggregating the different sources averages out the placements to make them more accurate and reduces the change of a meme like “Ban Steve” to ruin ranking placements.
This is mainly an offline list. The Reddit tier list is based on players’ opinions, so that could encompass both offline and online. But the two more objective lists are entirely offline.
The overall image of the tier list is below. To get the placements I assigned a numeric point value to each placement on each tier list, summed the characters’ points from each list, and then divided the sums by 3 to get an Avg (each original tier list is weighted the same). In only one situation was the number of characters not exactly the same – Dark Pit and Pit have separate places on the matchup chart tier list but are combined characters on the other two. In this instance, I combined the Pits at their highest placement on the matchup chart tier list so my simple formula wouldn’t break. Based on the point average spread, dividing each tier by a point average of 10 made the most sense, because it gave the expected number of tiers and gave a good distribution of characters between tiers. In creating this I wanted it to be as objective as possible and not have any of my opinions influence any rankings.
Below the image is the breakdown of each tier. I’ll explain any fighters that placements jump out, and also give a brief overview of each tier.
S Tier – Pyra/Mythra, Joker, Palutena, Wolf, Roy, Pikachu, ROB, Sonic, Zero Suit Samus
This is the busted tier. These characters have virtually no flaws. On top of that most are easy to use.
The eye-popper here is Roy being higher than Pikachu. This is because Roy is the 2nd! most successful competitive character, while Pikachu is only the 25th. So most other tier lists and general opinion have Pikachu as a Top 3, Top 5 character at worst; but he’s not actually getting those results.
A Tier – Lucina, Pokemon Trainer, Snake, Shulk, Diddy Kong, Peach (Daisy), Min Min, Mr. Game & Watch, Fox, Mario, Greninja, Wario, Cloud, Sephiroth, Young Link
These characters are also exceptional. They may have some minor flaws and a few more bad matchups. In general, these fighters require more time to learn. The reason Shulk is so high despite minimal tournament representation is his match-up spread. He loses very few of them. Diddy Kong is higher than the usual consensus because of pro Smashers – he’s getting the 9th best results. So pros must really like playing as him. Peach and Daisy are surprisingly low, this is strictly due to their matchups, they only have the 29th best MU chart. The big shock to me is Min Min being in this tier at all. But she’s top tier on Reddit, 18th in results, and all the way up at 11th on the MU.
B Tier – Pac-Man, Olimar, Sheik, Chrom, Steve, Ness, Captain Falcon, Yoshi, Samus (Dark Samus)
What’s interesting about this tier is that Samus is the only character who’s in a similar place on each list. The other fighters are not consistently placed on all the tier lists. These are good characters, but they have one or two big flaws. They also require putting work in, but the rewards aren’t going to be the same as the A tier.
Sheik being this high seems out of place, but it’s because she has the 18th best matchup chart. And Steve is “only” a B Tier character. Despite having a lot of Reddit love and good competitive representation he loses to a lot of opponents. But honestly, the placement is more accurate than the stupid “Ban Steve” narrative going on.
C Tier – Inkling, Mega Man, Falco, Link, Terry, Sora, Ken, Pichu, Kazuya, Luigi, Bayonetta, Hero
I think this is the last tier with really viable solo mains. These characters are similar to the B tier in that they’re solo- mainable characters, but the learning curve continues to get steeper. In this tier, we’re also starting to get some fighters that have only decent recoveries.
I think Link definitely belongs here, but he gets here in an interesting way. He’s pretty low on both the Reddit and results lists, but he’s 21st on the matchup list. I really don’t like Sora being all the way down here – I think he’s a borderline cheap character. But he has very little pro representation.
D Tier – Byleth, Bowser, Toon Link, Rosalina & Luma, Ryu, Ike, Marth
This is where we start asking “Why are you doing this to yourself?”. These characters can be good if you put in so much work. But if you’re going to put in that much work you’d get a better return on a higher tier character. The majority of these fighters are just too slow in the current Smash meta. These are secondary fighters at best.
The one character that maybe doesn’t belong here is Marth. He’s actually a good fighter. He has the 30th best matchup spread. But he’s bottom tier on the competitive list, because if you’re going to play Marth just play Lucina or Roy instead.
From this tier on down many of the characters work better online. So, I wouldn’t consider playing any of them offline, but if you just have to play them, stay online.
E Tier – Simon (Richter), Wii Fit Trainer, Duck Hunt, Mii Brawler, Lucas, Pit (Dark Pit), Meta Knight, Villager, Mewtwo, Robin, Ice Climbers, Banjo & Kazooie, Corrin, Zelda
These are just bad characters, though they can be fun for casual play. But we’re now at the point where these characters aren’t even worth using as secondary or pocket characters. These fighters have a few good things about them, but those are overshadowed by their deficiencies.
The Pits and Meta Knight are actually a tier higher based on matchups, but people just don’t like playing as them.
F Tier – Mii Gunner, Jigglypuff, Ridley, Incineroar, Lucario, Dr. Mario, King Dedede, Bowser Jr., King K. Rool, Isabelle
These are bad characters, but not the worst characters in the game. While the popular narrative is that Jigglypuff and Incineroar are bottom 5 characters their pro players push them up a tier.
Trash Tier – Mii Swordfighter, Piranha Plant, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Little Mac, Ganondorf
These are the worst characters in the game! And some of them have worst recoveries as well! However a lot of these characters actually work well online, so if you’re only going to be a wifi warrior you could main one of them.
Fun fact, Ganondorf wins 0 matchups! That’s why he’s the worst character in the game.