retrogameindex
A new challenger approachesSuper Smash Bros. MeleeGUIDES

Characters

25 character slots + Sheik, Zelda’s transformation. Select a picture to view it full size.

Mario

Mario

Starter

Super Mario

Luigi

Luigi

Unlockable

Super Mario

Yoshi

Yoshi

Starter

Yoshi

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong

Starter

Donkey Kong

Link

Link

Starter

The Legend of Zelda

Samus

Samus

Starter

Metroid

Kirby

Kirby

Starter

Kirby

Fox

Fox

Starter

Star Fox

Pikachu

Pikachu

Starter

Pokémon

Jigglypuff

Jigglypuff

Unlockable

Pokémon

Captain Falcon

Captain Falcon

Starter

F-Zero

Ness

Ness

Starter

EarthBound

Peach

Peach

Starter

Super Mario

Bowser

Bowser

Starter

Super Mario

Dr. Mario

Dr. Mario

Unlockable

Super Mario

Zelda

Zelda

Starter

The Legend of Zelda

Sheik

Sheik

Transformation

The Legend of Zelda

Ganondorf

Ganondorf

Unlockable

The Legend of Zelda

Young Link

Young Link

Unlockable

The Legend of Zelda

Falco

Falco

Unlockable

Star Fox

Mewtwo

Mewtwo

Unlockable

Pokémon

Pichu

Pichu

Unlockable

Pokémon

Ice Climbers

Ice Climbers

Starter

Ice Climber

Marth

Marth

Unlockable

Fire Emblem

Roy

Roy

Unlockable

Fire Emblem

Mr. Game & Watch

Mr. Game & Watch

Unlockable

Game & Watch

Melee portraits, item renders and labelled trophy pictures · © Nintendo / HAL Laboratory and respective rights holders.

Mario, Luigi and Dr. Mario

These three share a family resemblance, but their movement and attacks should be learned individually. Start with a projectile, a grounded attack and a return to the stage. Compare the same sequence with each character instead of expecting a familiar costume or name to imply identical timing.

Peach, Bowser and Yoshi

The Mushroom Kingdom cast offers contrasting movement rhythms. Peach’s floating movement is worth practising deliberately; Bowser asks you to choose openings for committed attacks; Yoshi makes jump control a particular priority. Use the same arena to compare their landings and attacks before deciding which style feels comfortable.

Donkey Kong and the Ice Climbers

Donkey Kong gives power and reach a prominent role, while the Ice Climbers ask you to pay attention to a pair working together. For either, begin with dependable movement and ordinary exchanges before chasing a complicated sequence. Learn what happens when an attack is blocked as well as when it succeeds.

Link, Young Link and Samus

These fighters invite a comparison between projectiles and close attacks. Practise at a known distance, then close in when the opponent’s response creates an opening. Link and Young Link should still be learned separately, and Samus’s Charge Shot gives you another decision about how to use a quiet moment.

Zelda, Sheik and Ganondorf

Zelda and Sheik are linked by transformation but offer distinct fighting styles. Learn one set of basics with each before changing form as part of a match plan. Ganondorf provides a separate, more committed rhythm; practise a safe response after an attack rather than relying only on the impact of a successful hit.

Kirby, Ness and Mr. Game & Watch

These three bring unusually recognizable character actions into the same arena. Kirby’s aerial movement, Ness’s recovery and Mr. Game & Watch’s distinctive attacks each deserve a short practice session. Begin by learning a dependable return and a clear close-range response. Knowing those basics makes experimenting with the more unusual options much safer.

Fox, Falco and Captain Falcon

A fast-looking fighter still needs a readable approach and a safe landing. Compare Fox and Falco directly rather than expecting the shared Star Fox origin to mean identical movement or Blaster behavior. Captain Falcon asks for a different close-range plan. Repeat a simple exchange until you know where its opening ends.

Pikachu, Pichu, Jigglypuff and Mewtwo

The Pokémon representatives offer different movement and special-attack ideas. Test Pikachu and Pichu separately, then compare Jigglypuff’s aerial rhythm and Mewtwo’s spacing. A useful first goal is to identify one safe attack and one reliable recovery route with each. Keep the character stable while learning the arena so several changes do not hide the reason for a better result.

Marth and Roy

Both Fire Emblem fighters make sword range a clear part of the match, but they reward learning their individual attack spacing. Practise where a grounded swing reaches and what you can do after it misses or is blocked. Use the same opponent for the comparison, then return to the fighter whose rhythm you want to develop further.

From the game: the character-select screen

Every fighter’s portrait and stock icon as the game draws them, in the order of the character-select screen. Select one for all their costumes.

Dr. Mario on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenDr. MarioMario on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenMarioLuigi on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenLuigiBowser on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenBowserPeach on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenPeachYoshi on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenYoshiDonkey Kong on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenDonkey KongCaptain Falcon on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenCaptain FalconGanondorf on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenGanondorfFalco on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenFalcoFox on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenFoxNess on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenNessIce Climbers on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenIce ClimbersKirby on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenKirbySamus on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenSamusZelda on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenZeldaLink on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenLinkYoung Link on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenYoung LinkPichu on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenPichuPikachu on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenPikachuJigglypuff on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenJigglypuffMewtwo on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenMewtwoMr. Game & Watch on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenMr. Game & WatchMarth on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenMarthRoy on the Super Smash Bros. Melee character-select screenRoy

Fighters & costumes

Pictures taken from the Super Smash Bros. Melee (USA, revision 2) disc: textures decoded from the game’s own archives (character-select portraits, stock icons, stage-select pictures, emblems and menu art), the clear pictures stored on the disc, and frames from the opening movie.

References

Covered edition: Original Super Smash Bros. Melee for Nintendo GameCube. Regional balance differences and later Smash games are outside this introductory guide.