Pikachu

General
Pikachu (ピカチュウ, Pikachū) is an Electric-Type Pokémon and one of the most famous creatures of the Pokémon media. It is the Pokémon #25 of the National Pokédex. It is a playable character in Super Smash Bros Crusade.

Changes from Brawl to Crusade
Pikachu was severely nerfed due to additional nerfs and Crusade physics. Pikachu has reduced KO power on many of his moves. Thunder has decreased range and kill power making it an unreliable move to kill and to approach with. Pikachu's approaching ability has been significantly reduced due to the decreased range on every single one of his moves and Thunder Jolt is significantly slower (Almost every character can outrun it) and it's size is smaller making it very easy to avoid and giving Pikachu a terrible approach ability. Pikachu has a weak ground game due ihis terrible range. Skull Bash is his most reliable kill move to approach but it is too predictable, very easy to shield, leaves Pikachu wide open when shielded due to it's lag and can easily backfire. Pikachu's recovery was significantly nerfed due to Quick Attack having significantly decreased distance (though harder to hit due to its larger hitboxes) and decreased speed making it easy to edge-guard and Skull Bash being very easy to edge-hog. The Crusade physics affected Pikachu negatively. The removal of his Quick Attack Cancel reduces his approach ability, increased hitstun makes him easy to combo and chain-grab.

Attributes


Pikachu is placed 40th in the C tier. This is due to his range being shorter than it was in all his previous appearances in the Smash series. Pikachu's kill power is decreased and Thunder has significantly decreased kill power and range. Pikachu is also unable to Quick Attack Cancel and has worse recovery. Consequently, Pikachu is hit hard by the impact of the Crusade physics, resulting in unfavorable matchups.

Pikachu's most salient feature, as with its appearances in previous Smash Brothers games, is his speed. Pikachu also has good specials, excellent smash attacks, tilts and decent grabs. Pikachu is a fairly small target, but this comes at the price of being the 4th lightest character (making him easily be knocked off-stage by a strong smash-attack).

Pikachu's best game is played on the ground, at a medium range, where his smash attacks can be used to the fullest. Pikachu's up-smash is one of the fastest in the game, with decent power to boot, and is excellent for KOs while his down-smash holds for multiple hits and has a high priority, functioning as a panic button of sorts for close encounters. The side smash is a good tool for edgeguarding and KOs off the side, though its range is shorter than in Brawl.

Perhaps Pikachu's main strength is his ability to combo and chain-grab when the foe is at moderate- to low-percent damage. His Forward Throw is a good combo starter, as it can lead directly into a short-hopped Fair, and it may also be used as a chain grab. His Down Throw can be used as a semi-chain grab on some characters as well. Thanks to L-canceling, his Fair can be a high-priority offensive move against grounded foes and can combo into other moves on hit.

Pikachu's main problem is his abysmal ability to approach and being one of the easiest characters in the game to KO due to his significantly light weight. His Thunder Jolt is very slow and almost every character can outrun it. Quick Attack is now useless for approaching due to its shorter distance so it has to rely on Skull Bash (which is most reliable way to approach) but it is very predictable and very easy to shield.

Overall, Pikachu is a far weaker character than he was in any Smash game to date. Although Pikcahu has gained a few new tricks, his severe nerfs in Crusade and the huge negative impact received by the Crusade physics made Pikachu an ineffective character.

Pikachu's Normal Moves
Combo Side Tilt Up Tilt Down Tilt Dash Attack
 * A very quick headbutt attack that can be repeated in rapid succession. Deals 2% damage per hit. It is tied for the fastest Jab on startup in SSBC with Mario, Luigi, Kirby, and Zero Suit Samus's Jabs.
 * Pikachu turns and kicks forwards with both legs. It's a fast move that moves Pikachu forwards slightly. 7% damage.
 * A quick upwards tail swipe that pops enemies up into the air to allow for juggling. Deals 6 - 7% damage dependnig on when and where the tail hits the target. This move has a great hitbox for anti-air attacks.
 * Pikachu turns and delivers a low kick imbued with electricity that launches foes at a low angle when sweetspotted. Deals 10% damage when it hits from a far distance and 7% otherwise. It makes a solid finisher due to the fact that opponents can not easily recover from the low knockback angle.
 * Pikachu lunges forward, delivering a headbutt. It's quick on startup, with good range, but easy to punish. 8% damage.

Side Smash
 * Pikachu gathers electricity in his cheeks, then releases it in a short blast. It has decent range and great priority, enabling it to beat out many attacks, including projectiles. This is a good finisher, but due to its slow startup, it's very situational. 18%.

Up Smash
 * Pikachu does a somersault and swings his tail to attack. This is a rather quick Smash with good vertical KO power. 15%.

Down Smash Neutral Air Forward Air Up Air Down Air Back Aerial Forward Throw
 * Pikachu electrocutes himself then spins around, zapping the target multiple times. It hits on both side of Pikachu, making it good for chasing down roll-dodges. It's also very quick, with a startup of just 7 frames. It hits foes upwards at an angle and doesn't KO until higher percentages than Pikachu's other Smashes. 13%.
 * A quick spinning tackle attack that deals 11% in its initial frames, and 6% later. It has a 5-frame startup and a long active hitbox, making it highly effecttive as a Sex Kick. This is Pikachu's all-purpose aerial move, posessing a decent hitbox and good KO potential.
 * Pikachu spins sideways while surrounded by electricity, hitting adversaries up to 6 times. Deals 2% with the first 5 hits and 3% with the last for up to 13% total damage. It has a quick startup and its multi-hit properties allow it to link into some moves upon an L-cancelled landing. The final hit has moderate 40-degree angled launch power.
 * An upwards somersault, resulting in an overhead tail attack. It deals 8% damage if it hits early and 6% later. It launches foes at a roughly vertical trajectory in its initial frames and a horizontal angle in its later frames. This is Pikachu's primary combo-friendly aerial and its fastest overall aerial, with 4 frames of startup and 25 frames of duration.
 * Pikachu spins while facing downwards, surrounded by electricity. It deals 14% damage initially with high knockback, and 10% later. Upon landing, Pikachu may also deal 3% to nearby targets. This attack makes a solid finisher, but it is a tad slow, especially in comparison to Pikachu's other air moves. It also carries some heavy ending lag, so L-cancelling is important.
 * Pikachu turns and does a quick reverse kick with solid power. It deals 12% damage and enough knockback to make it as viable a finisher as Down Air. It has a bit a recovery lag at the end, making it punishable, but it should be reserved for punishes and combos anyway as the safer, more useful Neutral Air should be used in most other cases. Still, it's a great way to guarantee a KO during a punish or combo because of its low-angled knockback.
 * Pikachu electrocutes the enemy multiple times. Can be used in chain-grabs and some combos.

Up Throw
 * Pikachu headbutts the enemy upward. Not particularly useful unless you want to set up a juggle, but it's not combo-friendly.

Back Throw
 * Pikachu rolls backwards with the enemy multiple times, then throws him backwards. Pikachu's strongest throw in terms of knockback.

Down Throw
 * Pikachu places the enemy below, then attacks with his tail. Deals weak knockback and can be used in some combos.

Ledge Attack
 * Pikachu gets up from the ledge and does a quick sweep with his tail.

Trivia

 * Pikachu is the only pokemon in the roster to have his devolution in the roster.

Notable Appearances

 * Pokemon Red/Blue (1998)
 * Hey You, Pikachu! (2000)
 * Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire (2002)
 * Pokemon Diamond/Pearl (2006)