Few fighting games are as widely popular as the Super Smash Bros. franchise. A massive crossover between franchises and even developers, one would be hard-pressed to find a fighting game with as many characters as the most recent entry in the series, Super Smash Bros.Ultimate. While it's often fun for players to pick up characters from their favorite games, some fighters are far more difficult to use effectively, especially for newcomers to the series.

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On the other end of the spectrum, there are also numerous characters that are quite intuitive and easy to figure out, offering a much more forgiving learning curve. Which characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate are the easiest for beginners? This is not a simple question to answer, especially if players prefer certain playstyles to others. However, once players pick up the game and check out the many fighters they can control, it goes without saying that they'll eventually find a character that suits their playstyle.

Updated on October 10, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is easily one of the best fighting games on the market right now, with players loving the endless support of this game with its roster being truly gigantic. Players can select the character they love and go absolutely ballistic with them as they destroy other fighters and throw them off the map in spectacular battles that can take a while to complete. These matches can get pretty hectic, and players who've just got into this game may find it hard to come to grips with the gameplay if they aren't using a character that's easy to control. While all fighters are meticulously crafted to help them be as equal and competitive as possible, there are some easy-to-control fighters whom players can choose if they're struggling.

18 Captain Falcon

Captain Falcon dashing forward with a flaming punch

It's a shame that F-Zero hasn't seen a mainline entry for the longest time, with the high-speed racing franchise enjoying its last title on the GameCube before being shelved in favor of other Nintendo IPs. With the reveal of F-Zero 99, fans can only hope that it marks a return for this series on the biggest stage, but until then, they have to remain happy with Captain Falcon's presence in the Super Smash Bros series.

This character is extremely fast, being able to unleash a few quick combos before dashing away. It's a great pick for players who hate taking damage and want to learn how to dodge their enemies with ease, picking them off with some smart combos and smashing them in no time flat once they understand how Captain Falcon.

17 Pokemon Trainer

Smash Ultimate Pokemon Trainers

The Pokemon Trainer boasts three different fighters with unique movesets of their own that can be used to cover a diverse range of situations without too many problems. This can be overwhelming, but beginners can always try controlling either Charizard, Squirtle, or Ivysaur and get slowly accustomed to each Pokemon's moveset before deciding which one to control in battle.

This way, players can decide between quick, medium, and heavy characters in the game, which is a pretty important decision to make. All three weight types have their positives and drawbacks, and using the Pokemon Trainer makes for a great crash course that will help beginners understand the ropes before they either move on to other characters or use this one to get the best of both worlds in one single character.

Toon Link after slashing the Master Sword

The Legend of Zelda is one of the most popular Nintendo IPs around, and it's easy to see why there are so many versions of Link that players can control in this game. One of these versions is Toon Link, who comes from one of the most beloved games in the series — The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

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Toon Link is a pretty balanced fighter, and players can easily get used to his moveset if they wish to control a relatively simple character in the game. He's a middleweight who is pretty fast, has decent grabbing power, and can use a wealth of AoE moves to attack numerous foes in quick succession.

15 Samus/Dark Samus

Samus using dash attack on Onett in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

One of the most legendary characters in Nintendo's long and illustrious history is Samus. This character has had several games in the Metroid series where she's shone quite bright indeed, barring an odd misstep or two.

This character is quite fun to play around with in Super Smash. Bros Ultimate as well. Her chargeable blast takes a very short time to get used to, with her other powers also being a treat to use.

14 Zero Suit Samus

Zero Suit Samus sliding in Smash Ultimate Cropped

Samus is actually featured three times in Super Smash. Bros Ultimate, although the two of them are basically identical. Zero Suit Samus, on the other hand, is completely different and a joy to use in the game.

She's fast, has great moves, and is easy to adapt to. Any beginner who takes this fighter shouldn't be surprised if they end up using this character in the long run.

13 Joker

super-smash-bros-ultimate-joker

Persona 5's Joker was one of the biggest and most welcome additions to the Super Smash. Bros Ultimate lineup of fighters. He's a nimble and fun character to use, with great recovery as well.

He might seem weak, but awakening his Persona allows him to dish out a ton of damage. As long as players weather the early storm with this character, they'll enjoy a great time as they shoot and counter their way through a round!

12 Sephiroth

smash ultimate sephiroth

Another DLC fighter who is beloved in his own right, the addition of Sephiroth to the game was met with a ton of critical praise. This legendary villain uses his massive sword to wreak havoc in the game.

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Of course, this comes at the cost of mobility, but players will work around this problem after a point. After all, his immense damage output more than makes up for this minor slight.

11 Sonic

Super Smash Bros Ultimate: Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic is an iconic character who hasn't had the best luck with his 3D outings. Of course, Super Smash. Bros is a series that has a track record of stellar gameplay, so they obviously wouldn't have messed up Sonic at all.

He plays and feels exactly like how Sonic in a fighting game should play. This, coupled with his brilliant speed and fun moveset, makes him a great character to use for any beginner.

10 Ike

ike smash ultimate

While Fire Emblem's Ike may be one of the slower sword users in Smash, he is an excellent choice for new players. As Ike cares more about dealing impactful individual hits rather than stringing together long combos, once a player gets a feel for the timing and speed of his moves, taking an opponent's stocks should not be too difficult.

Due to the massive size of his sword's hitboxes and the amount of knockback many of his moves deal, Ike has plenty of ways to KO opponents without the need for long combos.

9 Mario

mario smash ultimate

By and large one of the most iconic video game characters of all time, Nintendo's poster boy is a fine-tuned all-arounder that can be quite intuitive. With decent speed, projectile spacing, and solid kill options, Mario even has access to some of the most intuitive combos in the game.

Many of Mario's tilt attacks as well as his aerials are solid combo tools, with his up-air being notoriously reliable. Additionally, due to his nature as a more balanced member of the roster, Mario doesn't have many blatantly exploitable weaknesses.

8 Donkey Kong

donkey king smash

A staple member of the Smash roster that's been a part of the franchise since the very first installment, Donkey Kong is a very hard-hitting member of the roster. Faster than many players would give him credit for, D.K. has numerous excellent kill options when either grounded or airborne, such as his devastating smash attacks and his spiking forward-air.

While D.K. doesn't require players to string together combos in order to get mileage out of the character, he does have solid juggling potential.

7 Simon & Richter

simon and richter smash

Two characters with essentially identical playstyles, Simon and Richter Belmont of the Castlevania series are stellar choices for those interested in playing a projectile-based zoning character.

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In addition to having some of the most long-reaching normal attacks in the game due to their whips, the Belmonts have access to numerous distinct projectiles. Through their use of throwing axes, crosses, and holy water, these characters can make an opponent's approach a nightmare.

6 Cloud

cloud smash

When it comes to gameplay, Cloud is a similar character to Ike. Wielding giant swords, both characters have access to disjointed hit-boxes and numerous potent kill options.

However, while Ike tends to be more on the sluggish side, Cloud is quite quick and can easily maneuver around a stage. While it may take a bit of learning to get used to, Cloud's unique Limit Break mechanic can be used to make his special moves even more effective and potent.

5 Ganondorf

ganondorf smash

Despite having magical abilities in The Legend of Zelda series, Ganondorf is perhaps one of the most simplistic and straightforward characters in Smash. A brawler with relatively low speed and low range, Ganondorf has a vast array of kill options and attacks that allow him to knock out foes on low percentages.

Ganondorf rewards patient players who are willing to wait for an opponent to leave an opening, punishing their mistakes.

4 Bowser

bowser smash

Yet another more tanky member of the roster, Bowser is a character who has a great deal in common with grapplers of traditional fighting games like Street Fighter. While a large and relatively slow-moving target, Bowser uniquely has armor that allows many of his moves to continue even if he's interrupted by a foe's attack.

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This enables Bowser to overwhelm unsuspecting foes with substantial pressure. Additionally, Bowser's side-B is an armored command grab that can be used to reliably rack up damage and KO opponents.

3 King K. Rool

king k rool smash

A character with many fundamental similarities to Bowser, King K. Rool takes Bowser's armor mechanic and puts it at the forefront of his arsenal. Though K. Rool may be slower than other members of the roster, his armor allows him to steamroll through the opposing offense. Players just need to remember that over-reliance on this armor can result in it being temporarily broken, causing King K. Rool to become dazed.

It is also worth mentioning that King K. Rool is one of the only heavy characters in the game to have access to a projectile in the form of his blunderbuss.

2 Chrom

chrom smash ultimate

The protagonist of Fire Emblem: Awakening, Chrom serves as Roy's echo fighter in Smash Ultimate. While the majority of echo fighters in the game primarily provide cosmetic changes rather than gameplay ones, Chrom fundamentally alters the properties of the character's sword.

While Roy's sword is more powerful the closer it is to the target, causing the tip of the blade to deal weaker hits, Chrom's variant deals consistent damage regardless of which part of the weapon connects. As Roy's move-set is otherwise very intuitive for those looking for an aggressive rushdown character, Chrom is an excellent choice for beginners.

1 Lucina

Lucina super smash bros ultimate

Similar to Roy, Marth's sword has unique properties, dealing more damage and knock-back when attacking with its tip. While Lucina, Marth's echo fighter, has an otherwise identical gameplay style and move set, her altered sword deals the same amount of damage regardless of which area lands a hit.

Additionally, Lucina is a quick and intuitive character with excellent range and combo capabilities.

super smash bros ultimate poster
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Platform(s)
Switch
Released
December 7, 2018
Publisher(s)
Nintendo