"Super Smash Bros. Ultimate"/Nintendo
- "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" is out now for the Nintendo Switch, and players are already starting to get competitive - less than two weeks since release.
- The world's number one ranked "Super Smash Bros." player, Gonzalo "ZeRo" Barrios, has ranked all 74 characters in the game based on his early impressions.
- The best 11 characters are regarded as "top tier" by the competitive community, meaning they have moves and abilities that make them stand out against the rest of the cast.
- While tier lists like Zero's may reflect players' opinions on the strongest characters, it will always be possible for the worst characters to win if they employ the right strategy.
Like most fighting games, "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" can inspire a competitive drive in even the most casual of video game players.
The Super Smash Bros. franchise has a long and storied history of grassroots tournaments and esports events dedicated to findind the best players around the world, and the games evolve constantly as players develop new strategies and techniques.
Gonzalo "ZeRo" Barrios was named the best overall player over the four-year life span of "Super Smash Bros. for Wii U" by Panda Global, a leading organization within the Smash esports community. After taking a break from competition for most of 2018, ZeRo has been working hard to reclaim his mantle in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate," helping out other players along the way with video guides and early impressions of the game.
Earlier this week ZeRo released his first tier list for the game, ranking all 74 characters from best to worst.
"Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" is still just a few weeks old so the overall ranks will shift over time, but ZeRo has seperated the characters into four primary tiers; Top tier characters are considered the best; high-tier characters are strong with some flaws; mid-tier characters are solid but may lack strong tools, and low-tier characters struggle to stay competitive.
It's important to note that just because a character is high tier they wont always win; matchups between specific characters will sway based on the strategy of the players and the way their moves interact. A better player using a low- or mid-tier charater will be able to overcome a weaker player using a "better" character, if they stay sharp and make best use of their skills.
However, understanding why top tier characters are considered the best is one of the most important steps towards building a sound strategy and learning how to win. If you're curious as to where the rest of the characters land on the tier list, be sure to watch ZeRo's full video and hear the explanations for yourself.
Here are the 11 top tier characters in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate," according to the world's number one Smash player, ZeRo.