The competitive Super Smash Bros scene originated in 2002 when the series' second installment, Super Smash Bros Melee, became popular in local tournaments. Soon, the franchise developed a passionate following in the e-sports community. Even the newest installment, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, continues to find high-level success.
However, not every Super Smash Bros game is equal. Every new entry in the franchise will make alterations to certain characters, affecting the game's balance. As a result, some once-widely used characters get left out of most competitive matches. These ten Smash Bros fighters are unfortunately among those unlucky characters.
10 Kirby
In the first installment of Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 64, Kirby ranks high in the tier list. Alongside Pikachu, Kirby has proven to be one of the best characters competitively in the original game. This is mostly due to Kirby's phenomenal recovery abilities as well as his swift attacks both on the ground and in the air.
However, subsequent releases of the series have seen Kirby being nerfed. In Melee, Kirby's speed was decreased, which was problematic considering Melee's meta prioritized characters with high speed. He saw some improvements in Brawl, but the two most recent iterations of Smash have found Kirby's performance to be lackluster.
9 Fox
The pilot from the Star Fox series currently ranks #1 on the tier list for Super Smash Bros Melee due to his lack of negative matchups. Overall, Fox's performance in this game allowed players to chain combo attacks and speedily recover with his side-special. Fox was slightly nerfed in Brawl, bringing his ranking down a few tiers.
Fox's appearance in future Super Smash Bros games hasn't seen a lot of improvement. Alongside more nerfs, Fox does however have better recovery in Super Smash Bros 4. In Ultimate, he currently sits at A-tier, which is not bad at all, but his overall power is not as good as it once was in Melee.
8 Jigglypuff
After appearing as an unlockable character in 64, Jigglypuff re-appeared in Melee with some pretty hefty buffs. While its Rest ability still allows for a difficult-to-time instant-KO, Jigglypuff also can be one-hit KO'd if its shield is broken. However, post-Melee Jigglypuff has unfortunately been subject to extreme nerfs.
Thanks to Brawl's change in engine, Jigglypuff no longer benefits from a game with increased speed. If that wasn't bad enough, Jigglypuff was nerfed even more in 4, before finally receiving some well-deserved buffs in Ultimate. Overall, Jigglypuff still resides as a low-tier character in the newest installment of the all-star fighter.
7 Falco
Alongside Fox, Falco was one of the best characters in Melee, thanks to his similar moveset. However, unlike Fox, Falco remained a top-tier character in Brawl. Unfortunately, his appearance in Super Smash Bros 4 wouldn't leave him as fortunate, dropping him to a bottom-tier character thanks to significant nerfs.
Thankfully, Falco's poor tier placement in 4 would leave him open to more buffs in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. While Falco's recovery received nerfs, he also gained enough buffs for his Blaster and neutral attacks that bring him up to a B-tier fighter. However, he's fallen a long way from his top-four position in Melee.
6 Ice Climbers
Ice Climbers are one of the best fighters in Super Smash Bros Brawl, despite the game's lack of support competitively nowadays. This was even after the removal of wavedashing and wobbling from Melee, which were key Ice Climber tactics. However, players benefit from a smarter A.I. controlling the leader's partner.
However, Ice Climbers' absence in Super Smash Bros 4 left their competitive fate unknown. They'd eventually return in Ultimate, though they're often held back competitively by difficult-to-input tactics, such as desyncing. As a result, they've dropped to a C-tier fighter and are rarely seen in tournament matches.
5 Meta Knight
While Ice Climbers held the #2 spot in Brawl, Meta Knight was a step above them at the #1 in his own SS tier. In his debut appearance, Meta Knight became the strongest fighter in the game. Many fans even labeled his design as broken, resulting in him being banned from many tournaments for his lack of bad matchups.
Understandably, this led to Meta Knight receiving some pretty heavy nerfs in the following installment. His attacks became slower with less range, making him less of a threat, but still residing in the B-tier. He received even more nerfs in the transition to Ultimate, dropping him to C-tier next to Ice Climbers.
4 Mewtwo
Mewtwo was a bottom-tier character in Melee, so he wasn't missed in the competitive scene during the Brawl days. Mewtwo finally returned as a DLC character in Super Smash Bros 4, though he was still considered weak by fans. However, after several updates to the game's balance, Mewtwo's speed improved, bringing it to the top tier.
Sadly, Mewtwo's reign in the top tier didn't last long, as it was significantly nerfed in the transition to Ultimate. One of these changes saw Mewtwo gaining a hurtbox on its tail, giving more opportunities for players to attack Mewtwo from afar. Currently, Mewtwo sits at the bottom of the C-tier, not far from his original spot in Melee.
3 Rosalina & Luma
This duo from Super Mario Galaxy debuted in Super Smash Bros 4, essentially performing as the game's replacement for Ice Climbers. This would be a true comparison in terms of tier list placement, as Rosalina's defensiveness placed it at #5 in 4's tier list. Sadly, Rosalina would soon become another target of nerfs in Ultimate.
While Rosalina's performance improved overall following updates, her power in Ultimate was nerfed. Most of these changes affect Rosalina & Luma's ability to wall out characters, costing important combo potential. As a result, Rosalina & Luma now reside in the B-tier, rarely seeing any competitive play in Ultimate's meta.
2 Corrin
The protagonist from Fire Emblem: Fates appeared as the second-to-last DLC character in Super Smash Bros 4. Residing near the top of the B-tier in that game, Corrin performed well due to his/her long reach and consistent tournament results. However, Corrin suffered from a lack of mobility and lack of KO potential.
Corrin returned as an unlockable character in Ultimate, receiving drastic nerfs upon release. Most of these nerfs affected the usefulness of Corrin's special moves, such as Dragon Lunge. Thankfully, Corrin received some more buffs in future updates of the game, though a lack of in-person tournaments nowadays leaves Corrin in C-tier.
1 Bayonetta
Bayonetta was the last DLC character revealed for Super Smash Bros 4, and very quickly proved to be one of the game's best characters upon her release. Her unique moveset can be combined with a playstyle that encourages long combo chains. This makes her one of the few characters capable of zero-to-KO-ing opponents.
Like Meta Knight in Brawl, Bayonetta was a primary target for nerfing in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Her moves now have more lag, hindering her combo ability, as well as her zero-to-KO potential. She currently resides in the B-tier and has been lucky enough to receive buffs via updates, but her viability is still unclear.