As a gamer, I always think of Super Smash Bros. as a total love letter to everything we enjoy about video games. It’s just awesome seeing so many legendary characters – not just from Nintendo, but from all over gaming – going head-to-head in these crazy, fast-paced fights. And even though it’s super easy to pick up and play, it’s got this surprisingly deep competitive side. For the last 27 years, players have been constantly ranking each character, figuring out who’s the strongest and making these detailed tier lists.
Because each game has a ranked list of characters, it’s pretty simple to figure out who the most and least powerful fighters are in this series. These eight Super Smash Bros. characters consistently rank low – either because their style doesn’t work well in competitive play, or because other characters perform the same moves more effectively. If you’re aiming to win, it’s best to avoid picking them.
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8. Doctor Mario (Ultimate)
Just An Inferior Version Of Mario
Mario is the face of Super Smash Bros. and one of gaming’s most recognizable characters. He’s always been a solid, easy-to-learn choice for new players, which means he’s never been a poorly performing character in any Smash Bros. game. However, many characters based on Mario, like Doctor Mario in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, haven’t fared as well.
Doctor Mario plays very similarly to Mario, but unfortunately, he’s generally a weaker character. He’s slower, doesn’t deal much damage with his attacks, and has a poor ability to recover after being launched. While it might be initially amusing to play as a doctor, the fun quickly fades, leaving you with a less effective and unbalanced fighter.
7. Little Mac (SSB4/Ultimate)
A Character That Can Stay In The Air At All
Air combat is a key element in competitive Super Smash Bros., which explains why Little Mac is often ranked as one of the weakest characters in the games he appears in. When he was first added to Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS & Wii U, he was designed to have very limited air time and a low jump – fitting, since he’s meant to be a boxer who stays on the ground.
Little Mac struggles in both Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate due to similar weaknesses. He performs well in close-quarters combat, but becomes very vulnerable when airborne. His biggest problem is his poor recovery – if he’s knocked off the stage, he almost never has a chance to get back before being eliminated.
6. Zelda (Brawl)
Can Become A Better Character By Pressing One Button
Compared to other games in the Super Smash Bros. series, Brawl feels a bit slow and awkward. Because of this, players tend to favor fast, combo-heavy characters like Meta Knight and Diddy Kong. This has unfortunately led to Zelda being seen as one of the weakest characters, as she’s noticeably slow.
Zelda was originally created as a character who fights from a distance by casting spells, but this style isn’t very effective in competitive play. Also, in Brawl, she’s linked to the character Sheik, allowing her to switch forms with a special move. It’s hard to justify playing as Zelda when you could simply transform her into the more powerful and agile Sheik with the press of a button.
5. Luigi (Super Smash Bros.)
The Original “Worse Version” Of Mario
Okay, so even going way back to the original Super Smash Bros. on the N64, there’s still a competitive community, and they’ve pretty much always agreed that Luigi was the worst character. It’s kinda funny looking back, because back then he was basically just a copy of Mario, but a worse copy. He does all the same stuff as Mario, but he’s noticeably slower both running and jumping, his attacks don’t hit as hard, and even though he can get back to the stage okay, it’s super predictable, making it easy for opponents to punish him.
Just like in recent Smash Bros. games, Luigi wasn’t a popular choice in Smash Bros. 64 – most players preferred his more famous and powerful brother, Mario. Luckily, Luigi got significant improvements in later games, becoming a unique and strong character in his own right. In fact, he even ranked higher than Mario in some versions of the game, like Brawl and Ultimate.
4. Jigglypuff (SSB4)
A Joke Character That Eventually Became An Actual Joke
Jigglypuff has long been seen as a bit of a joke character by Super Smash Bros. players. She was originally included in the first game largely because of her popularity in the Pokémon anime and the ease of creating her model – she has a similar shape to Kirby. Despite this perception, Jigglypuff was surprisingly effective in competitive play, and a handful of professional players even used her as their primary character.
Jigglypuff, the Balloon Pokemon, struggled significantly in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS & Wii U, which is considered the low point of its Smash Bros. history. Traditionally, Jigglypuff excels at gradually reducing an opponent’s health, but this installment was faster-paced and emphasized strong attacks. Jigglypuff lacked consistent combos and effective counter-moves, making it difficult to compete. Its weak air attacks, short reach, and light weight further hindered its performance. Thankfully, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate brought improvements to Jigglypuff, leading to a better ranking in the game’s tier lists and a more favorable position for its fans.
3. Ganondorf (Ultimate)
Buffing The King Of The Gerudo Seems Almost Impossible
Ganondorf is a controversial character among Super Smash Bros. players. Some appreciate his strong, deliberate attacks, while others dislike that he started as a copy of Captain Falcon and hasn’t received significant updates since. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate attempted to give Ganondorf a unique identity by adding a large sword to his powerful attacks, but this wasn’t enough to make him a major competitor.
Ganondorf in Ultimate is known for his powerful attacks – even early in the match, he can send opponents flying with basic combos, smash attacks, and special moves. However, he has significant weaknesses. He’s very slow, can’t attack from a distance because he lacks projectiles, struggles to recover when knocked off the stage, and largely relies on landing those hard-hitting attacks to be effective.
2. Bowser (Melee)
The Slowest Character In A Game That’s All About Speed
Super Smash Bros. Melee is well-known as the most competitive game in the Super Smash Bros. series, and people still play it in tournaments today. Surprisingly, many of the things players love about the game are actually unintentional glitches. But fans adore Melee because of its incredibly fast and energetic battles.
Bowser is generally considered the weakest character in Melee. He’s the slowest character in the game – even Ganondorf, despite being a heavy character, moved faster because he was similar to Captain Falcon. What makes things worse is that Bowser’s attacks aren’t strong enough to compensate for his lack of speed, and he can’t attack from a distance, forcing him to get close to opponents. Because of this, you almost never see anyone choose Bowser in Melee tournaments; he’s even less effective than characters considered jokes, like Pichu or Jigglypuff.
1. Ganondorf (Brawl)
A Slow-Moving Punching Bag In A Game With Sluggish Combat
Over the 27 years since its release, the Super Smash Bros. series has gone through many changes. However, many long-time fans consistently agree on one thing: Ganondorf in Brawl is the weakest character in the entire game series. He suffers from issues common to all versions of the character – he’s very slow, his aerial attacks are ineffective, and he struggles to recover when launched, even though his attacks are quite powerful.
Ganondorf’s biggest weakness in competitive play is his incredibly slow movement, which is a major problem in a game already known for feeling slow and awkward. Players generally favor faster characters in Brawl, so using Ganondorf rarely leads to success unless you get very lucky. It’s strange and a little sad to see the powerful villain from the Legend of Zelda series reduced to a weak character in a fighting game. While he received some improvements in SSB4 and Ultimate, no Super Smash Bros. game has ever allowed Ganondorf to reach his full potential.
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2026-04-11 01:36