~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to "How to Pikachu"!

By reading this in-depth guide, you will become the best rat in the rat race known as Brawl.

Corrections / Suggestions / Comments / Questions? ~ Post away!


Contents & Search:

1 - What's a Pikachu? [WTF]
2 - Character Controls [CRL]

a - Movement [MVE]
b - Standard Attacks [ATK]

3 - Advanced Techniques [TEQ]
4 - Pikachu Strategies [FTW]

I - Offense [OFS]
II - Defense [DFS]
III - Quick Attack Canceling [QAZ]
IV - Chain Throwing [TWH]
V - Potential Combos [CMB]
VI - Mind Games [MND]
VII - Favorable Stages [STG]

5 - Character Match-ups [HWO]
6 - Team Play [2V2]
7 - Closing [THX]



*** Temporary Message ***

(Updated April 14th, 5:18 PM)

Please let me know if I've missed something / if you would like me to explain certain areas more throughly, or have any comments in general.

-Kuro


***** End of Message *****


Update History:
March 29th, 2008 (v0.01 Beta) - First public posting of the guide. It looked like a hamster that fell into a garbage disposal.
April 1st, 2008 (v0.02 Alpha, or something) - Cleaned up the layout a lot, added "contents & Search" section.
April 1st, 2008 (v0.03 Zeta) - Added more screen shots, some advanced techniques.
April 1st, 2008 (v0.04) - Added most "Kill percents" for basic attacks, added content to "What's a Pikachu?"
April 2nd, 2008 (v0.05) - Added more images, started adding content to "Movement" section.
April 3rd, 2008 (v0.06 Sigma... can't beat X) - More content in general.
April 3rd, 2008 (v0.07 - no more santa sentences!) - No more Santa sentences, meaning most of the base content is filled out.
April 4th, 2008 (v0.08 ) - Some content added to "Pikachu Strategies" section.
April 5th, 2008 (v0.09) - Cleaned up a lot more, added more content to Controls section.
April 6th, 2008 (v0.10) - Added stuff to everything. Probably the best actual update I've done so far.
April 14th, 2008 (v1.0) - Added a bunch of stuff. Match-ups, stages, strategies, etc. - also cleaned up a bit more.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[WTF] - What's a Pikachu?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




Description

Pikachu is a ferocious monster from the Pokemon series.
He likes to pulverize anything that moves with electricity.

Statistics

Pokedex No. 25
Species - Mouse Pokemon Deity Pokemon
Ability - Dismember (and Static)
Type - Electric
Generation - First
Evolves from Pichu
Evolves into nothing worthwhile (aka Raichu)
Height - 1 ft 4 in (0.4 m)
Weight - 13.2 pounds (6.0 kg)

It stores electricity in its cheeks and discharges it when in a pinch.

Some video games Pikachu appears in

Pocket Monster Green/Red/Blue/Yellow (Gameboy)
Pokemon Stadium (N64)
Pokemon Stadium Stadium 2 (N64)
Pocket Monster Gold/Silver/Crystal (Gameboy)
Pokemon Stadium - Gold, Silver, Crystal (N64)
Pokemon Snap (N64)
Pocket Monster Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald (GBA)
Pocket Monster Diamond/Pearl (DS)
Super Smash Bros. series (N64, GC, Wii)

~ In Brawl ~

Weight

Pikachu is a "Very Light-weight" character and is the seventh lightest character in the game, according to the Kirby’s Star Shot list.
(in between Kirby and Meta Knight).

Speed

Walking Speed: 6th fastest character - ties with Diddy Kong.
Running Speed: 7th fastest character - ties with Charizard.

Pros/Cons:

+ Very Fast
+ Can camp
+ Excellent recovery
+ Has a decent chain grab
+ Lots of mind game potential
+ Can string together attacks pretty well
+ Smaller size + crawling makes it easier to dodge attacks
+ Cute (seriously, people have trouble hitting something this cute)
- Very light-weight
- Short range on attacks
- Only a handful of kill moves
- Can be hard to control the character exactly how you want


Alternate Costumes:

Pikachu has three alternate costumes:
- Pichu goggles
- Green bandana
- Red's hat





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[CRL] - Character Controls
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[MVE] - Movement

Pikachu's very mobile in Brawl.
His rolling dodge is on the quicker side, along with his walking / running speeds.
He can also wall jump, crawl, and Quick Attack Cancel (more on that later) besides the standard movement controls.



Walk
Pikachu sort of waddles like a penguin, and moves into a trot as he picks up speed.
There are three walking animations for when you are moving slow, medium, and fast.

- You cannot trip if you are walking
- Easy to use forward tilts from a walk.
- Walking jump and running jump have the same amount of momentum.



- Reversed F-smash
How to: walking left, tap the c-stick right and you'll do a reversed F-smash.
Good when spaced, but you might end up not being able to rely on Fsmash as a kill move, although the trade off might be worth it.
(note: The point of using the c-stick is that it gives you a tiny bit of sliding movement, and you can react to the situation on screen much more quickly than turning around, tapping the control stick, and pressing A)



Run
Pikachu runs along the ground like a cheetah with short limbs.
Running is faster than walking, and gives you some different options.

- Press A during a run to do a dash attack.
- Press Z while running to do a running grab.
- Cancel your run with a jump, up-smash, special attack, or shield (rolling dodge / sliding spot dodge).

- Cannot crouch cancel.
- Chance to trip during the start-up dash.
- Running jump and walking jump have the same amount of momentum.
- You skid when you stop moving unless you cancel with the above or either pivot, grab, or dash attack.





Dash
Pikachu does a quick dash forward.
The start-up for running; has a few unique options.

- Press A during a dash to do a dash attack.
- Press Z during a dash to do a running grab.
- Can cancel with a jump, Skull Bash, or U-smash.

- Chance to trip.
- Cannot crouch cancel.



- Pseudo dash cancel using F-smash
How to: Dash, and as Pika lands on the ground, do a F-smash (control stick + A)
Basically lets you do a F-smash a bit early; does not work with Dsmash.

- Delayed Dash Attack
How to: Dash, and when you're about to go into the standing pose, press A.
It looks like you finished your dash, but instead go into a dash attack; noticeably slower than a regular dash attack.



Crouch & Crawl
Pikachu ducks low to the ground and crawls on all fours.
Crouching and Crawling are mainly used to avoid projectile attacks.





Jump
Pikachu leaps off the ground.
There are two different jumps with the standard jump - Small Jump (Short hop), and Full Jump.
(Depends on if you're holding down the jump button or not on the final frame of the start-up animation).

Short Hop - Less maximum height, easy to get off the ground to attack and land quickly.
Full Jump - Higher maximum height.

- Can cancel a jump before you take off with a U-smash.





Air Jump
Pikachu does a flip in the air while doing an additional jump.
The height of an Air jump is set (no short-hopping air jumps)

- This is the jump you do when you QAC into a jump.





Wall Jump
Pikachu kicks off of the wall and leaps into the air.
Jump height is set, similar to Air jumping.

- Can wall jump under the edge of Final Destination & Pokemon Stadium (you pass through Pokemon Stadium's floor and sweet spot the edge).

- You can wall jump off the stage edge instead of sweet spotting it, if you want. (Timing is a bit hard because there's barely any "wall area" on some edges).





Shield
Pikachu surrounds himself in a barrier. The strength diminishes over time.
Shielding is one of the "rock-paper-scissors" of Smash Bros. ($5 says rock)

- Shields block all attacks except grabs and Final Smashes, and can turn on / off very quickly.
(If you ever get hit by an attack when "you knew you were shielding", you probably let go too early).




- Press A while shielding to do a shield grab.
- You can tilt the shield in a direction by slightly pressing on the control stick. Kind of useless for Brawl?
- If you time a shield right as your opponent's attack connects, you do a power shield. (see: Power Shield)
- Leave a shield out too long and it will break.
- See "Strategies" for a list of moves you can do out of a shield.



Spot Dodge
Pikachu steps to the side to dodge an attack.
Spot dodge beats grabs, projectiles, and basically anything without a lingering hitbox.

- Use it too often and your opponent will probably start charging their smash attacks or otherwise delay their attacks as a counter.





Rolling Dodge
Pikachu rolls on the ground to avoid an attack.
Pretty quick, but same as spot dodge - use more sparingly or your opponent will adapt and punish. (Rolling is easier to punish as well).

- Beats any attack, but you still might get punished even if you dodge the attack you used it for.





Air Dodge
Pikachu bends his body in the air to avoid an attack.
Fast and effective.



- Can SH Air dodge to avoid projectiles.
- Useful when recovering from above.



Hanging on the edge
There are many things you can do while hanging on the edge.
Stand up, Attack (see Attacks section), Roll onto the stage, or jump up from the edge.



- There are some other options in the "Strategies" section as well.



Trip
As with hanging on the edge, you have a few choices.
Stand up, do a roll, or attack (see Attacks section).





[ATK] - Standard Attacks


Pretty much all of Pikachu's attacks come out quickly. Many of them are used only to rack up damage, and there are only a handful of moves capable of killing opponents at decent percents. Format:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Name (number of hits)]
[Description (orange)]
[Damage (Damage per hit)] / [Damage it kills Mario from the middle of Final Destination]
[Reach] / [Priority]
[Start-up lag] / [Ending(landing) lag]
[Diminishing value example]
[Picture]
[Extra notes]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Head butt (1 hit)
Pikachu repeatedly thrusts his head forward in one direction. Endless.
2% damage per hit / ---
Reach: medium-short / Priority: Okay
Starting lag: None / Ending lag: None
Diminishing Value: 2, 2, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1



- Has a chance to trip your opponent.
- Some people don't bother with DI right away, expecting you not to continue the attack very long.



Dash Attack (1 hit)
Pikachu does a light hop and head butts.
7% damage / 292%
Reach: Long / Priority: Okay
Starting lag: None / Ending lag: Medium
Diminishing Value: 7, 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 3, 3, 4, 3



- Delayed Dash Attack
How to: Dash, and when you're about to go into the standing pose, press A.
It looks like you finished your dash, but instead go into a dash attack; noticeably slower than a regular dash attack.



Edge Attack (1 hit)
Pikachu swipes his tail down as he rolls onto the stage.
8% damage / (no data)
Reach: short / Priority: Good
Starting lag: Little / Ending lag: Little
Diminishing Value: 8, 7, 7, 5, 6, 4, 5, 4, 4, 3





Rising Attack (1 hit)
Pikachu sweeps his foot around in a circle as he gets up.
(no data) / (no data)
Reach: short / Priority: Good
Starting lag: Little / Ending lag: Little
Diminishing Value: (no data)





Rising Attack 2 (1-hit)
Pikachu spins his tail with electricity in a circle as he gets up after tripping.
(no data) / (no data)
Reach: short / Priority: Good
Starting lag: Little / Ending lag: Little
Diminishing Value: (no data)





F-tilt (1 hit)
Pikachu kicks out with both feet. You can tilt this attack in three directions.

- Diagonal Up -
10% damage / 170%
Reach: Medium-short / Priority: Good
Starting lag: None / Ending lag: Very little
Diminishing Value: 10, 9, 8, 7, 7, 6, 5, 6, 4

- Horizontal -
9% damage / 187%
Reach: Medium / Priority: Good
Starting lag: None / Ending lag: Very little
Diminishing Value: 9, 8, 7, 7, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4

- Diagonal Down -
8% damage / 208%
Reach: Medium / Priority: Good
Starting lag: None / Ending lag: Very little
Diminishing Value: 8, 7, 7, 5, 6, 4, 5, 4, 4





U-tilt (1 hit)
Pikachu swipes its tail above himself. Damage Depends on what part of the tail you hit with.
5~7% damage / 152% (with 7% hit - base of Pika's tail)
Reach: Medium / Priority: Good
Starting lag: Very little / Ending lag: Very little
Diminishing Value: 7, 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 4, 2 (tested with 7% hit)



- Used to knock opponents into the air.
- Dthrow -> Utilt -> Thunder is a pretty common combo.



D-tilt (1 hit)
Pikachu swipes out low to the ground with his tail.
7% damage / 238%
Reach: Medium-long / Priority: Good
Starting lag: None / Ending lag: Very little
Diminishing Value: 7, 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 3, 4, 3



- Chance to trip your opponent.

*Unconfirmed* - Hitting with the very tip of the tail has a higher chance to trip your opponent.
(If true, D-tilt trip -> Dash attack might be a good 2-hit combo if your opponent's at ~35%+)



N-air (1 hit)
Pikachu curls up and spins in the air.
Damage / knock back depends on when you hit.

- Beginning of Attack -
12% damage / 135%
Reach: Short / Priority: Very Good
Starting lag: none / Ending lag: Little
Diminishing Value: 12, 11, 10, 8, 8, 7, 7, 6, 6, 5

- Anytime else -
6% damage / (no data)
Reach: Short / Priority: Good
Starting lag: none / Ending lag: Little
Diminishing Value: 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3



- Viable Kill move.
- [QAC -> Jump + N-air] - A good combo to chase DI / techs with.
- Can SH it without lag.



F-air (5 hits)
Pikachu twirls horizontally while discharging electricity from his cheecks.
11% damage (2, 2, 2, 2, 3) / (Somewhere above 300%)
Reach: Medium-short / Priority: Very Good
Starting lag: none / Ending lag: Little
Diminishing Value: 11, 10, 8, 8, 7, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5



- Can be used as an approach.
- Can SH it without lag.



B-air (8 hits)
Pikachu spins horizontally in the air.
11% damage (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4) / 254%
Reach: Short / Priority: Very Good
Starting lag: none / Ending lag: Medium-high
Diminishing Value: 11, 10, 9, 8, 11, 6 ...



- Can chase your opponent's DI a lot of the time.
- Cannot SH it without lag.



U-air (1 hit)
Pikachu swipes his tail above him as he does a flip in the air.
5~6% damage / (Somewhere above 350%)
Reach: Medium-long / Priority: Good
Starting lag: none / Ending lag: none in the air, Medium-high landing
Diminishing Value: 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3



- Very quick, you can rapidly chain these together.
- Seems like the hitbox is deceptively larger than it appears to be.
- Can SH without lag



D-air (1 hit + shockwave)
Pikachu twirls downward in the air while discharging electricity from his cheeks.
If you hit the ground during the headbutt animation, you send out a shockwave that does additional damage.

- Head Butt -
12% damage / 179%
Reach: Short / Priority: Good
Starting lag: Medium / Ending lag: Little in the air, High landing
Diminishing Value: 12, 11, 10, 8, 8, 7, 7, 6, 6, 5

- Shockwave -
4% damage / (no data)
Reach: Medium-short / Priority: Very Good
Starting lag: None / Ending lag: High
Diminishing Value: 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 (conclusion: always 4 damage)



- Can QAC into a shockwave.
- Can SH it without lag.



F-Smash (1 hit)
Pikachu extends a concentrated ball of electricity from his cheeks.
Damage / knock back depends on what part of the attack you hit with.

- Electric ball -
14% damage (19% charged) / 105% (no data)
Reach: Long / Priority: Excellent
Starting lag: Little / Ending lag: Little
Diminishing Value: 14, 13, 11, 10, 10, 8, 8, 7, 7, 6

- Electricity lines -
17% damage (23% charged) / 121% (no data)
Reach: Medium / Priority: Excellent
Starting lag: Little / Ending lag: Little
Diminishing Value: (no data)

- Pikachu's cheeks -
20% damage (28% charged) / 198% (no data)
Reach: Short / Priority: Excellent
Starting lag: Very Little / Ending lag: Little
Diminishing Value: 21, 18, 16, 14, 13, 12, 11, 11, 9, 9



- Viable Kill move.
- Long Range.

- Reversed F-smash
How to: walking left, tap the c-stick right and you'll do a reversed F-smash.
Good when spaced, but you might end up not being able to rely on Fsmash as a kill move, although the trade off might be worth it.
(note: The point of using the c-stick is that it gives you a tiny bit of sliding movement, and you can react to the situation on screen much more quickly than turning around, tapping the control stick, and pressing A)

- Pseudo dash cancel using F-smash
How to: Dash, and as Pika lands on the ground, do a F-smash (control stick + A)
Basically lets you do a F-smash a bit early; does not work with Dsmash.



U-Smash (1 hit)
Pikachu does a quick flip while striking with his tail.
Damage depends on what part of the tail you hit with.

- In front of Pikachu -
13~14% damage (18~19% charged) / 115% (no data)
Reach: Short / Priority: Very Good
Starting lag: Very Little / Ending lag: Little
Diminishing Value: 14, 13, 11, 10, 10, 8, 8, 7, 7, 6

- Behind Pikachu -
7~11% damage (no data) / (no data)
Reach: Short / Priority: Good
Starting lag: Little / Ending lag: Little
Diminishing Value: (no data)



- Viable kill move.
- Hits both in front and behind Pikachu.
- Strongest hit (14%) is right in front of Pikachu.



D-Smash (7 hit)
Pikachu spins on the ground and immobilizes anything that gets sucked in.
15% damage (21% charged) / 116% (no data)
Reach: Medium-long / Priority: Excellent
Starting lag: Very Little / Ending lag: Very Little
Diminishing Value: 15, 14, 12, 11, 10, 8, 9, 7, 6, 6



- Viable kill move.
- Mostly used to rack up damage while annoying your opponent and disrupting their flow.


Neutral Special (1 hit) - Thunder Jolt
Pikachu launches a concentrated ball of electricity in front of him. Travels on the ground when it lands.
Damage / knock back depends on when you hit.

- Condensed jolt (in the air) -
9% damage / 506%
Reach: Very long (travels) / Priority: Good
Starting lag: Little / Ending lag: Little
Diminishing Value: 9, 8, 7, 7, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 3, 4

- Grounded jolt -
6% damage / ---
Reach: Very long (travels) / Priority: Good
Starting lag: Little / Ending lag: Little
Diminishing Value: 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3



- Annoys your opponent.
- Stops many projectiles.
- SH Thunder Jolt can be part of a good approach / retreat.
- Can QAC to Thunder Jolt. (Very good when retreating / spacing)
- Can be part of your edge guarding tactics.



Forward Special (1 hit) - Skull Bash
Pikachu charges energy and launches forward into a strong head butt. You can charge this attack.
7% damage (25% charged) / 245% (no data)
Reach: Medium~Very Long (depends on charge time) / Priority: Average
Starting lag: Little~Very High (depends on charge time) / Ending lag: Medium-high
Diminishing Value: 7, 7, 5, 6, 4, 5, 4, 3, 4 (uncharged)



- Good for recovery.
- Very strong when fully charged, but you probably won't get the chance outside of FFA.
- Can stall on the edge by skull bashing into it.
- Can be good for mind games - run at your opponent and use this to quickly delay your momentum so they miss their attack and you hit during their lag.



Up Special (2 hit) - Quick Attack
Pikachu warps from one point to another while damaging anything that stands in the path.
Can use twice in a row, and damage depends on which hit you land.

First hit - 3% damage / ---
Second hit - 2% damage / ---
Reach: Long / Priority: Pretty Good
Starting lag: Very little / Ending lag: Very Little (QAC), Medium (ground), High (air)
Diminishing Value: (no data)



- Used to Quick Attack Cancel (QAC); more on that in the "Advanced Techniques" section.
- Great for recovering from far away. combined with skull bash, you should be able to recover from almost anywhere.
- The angle of the second jump has to be at least 38 degrees different from the previous trajectory.



Down Special (1 hit) - Thunder
Pikachu calls down a pillar of lightning.
Attack differs depending on whether the lightning hits Pikachu or not.

- Lightning hits opponent (Thunder) -
10% damage / 192%
Reach: Short (horizontal) Long (vertical) / Priority:Excellent
Starting lag: Medium / Ending lag: Medium
Diminishing Value: 10, 9, 8, 7, 7, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 5

- Lightning hits Pikachu (Thunder 2) -
17% damage / 76%
Reach: Medium-Long (horizontal) / Priority: Excellent
Starting lag: Medium / Ending lag: High
Diminishing Value: 17, 16, 13, 13, 11, 10, 10, 8, 8, 8



- Thunder 2 kills at 76%, making it Pikachu's best kill move.
- Use accurately and sparingly, as you don't want your opponent to expect it.
- Dthrow -> Utilt -> Thunder is a pretty common combo.
- Can QAC into Thunder; good for chasing DI.



Running Grab
Pikachu grabs out while carrying his momentum.
If you do a lot of dash attacks and your opponent often shields them, try mixing in a few running grabs.





Grab shock (1 hit)
Pikachu quickly shocks whoever he has in his grasp.
You can actually do this pretty rapidly, so try to get the timing down.

2% damage / ---
Diminishing Value: 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1





Forward Throw
Pikachu sets his opponent on his back, electrifies them, and throws them off.

10% damage / 415%
Diminishing Value: 10, 9, 8, 7, 7, 6, 5, 6, 4, 5



- Can chain throw with this. F-Throw -> Dash grab -> F-Throw, repeat.



Back Throw
Pikachu rolls backwards with his opponent before launching them away.

9% damage / 245%
Diminishing Value: 9, 8, 7, 6, 6, 6, 5, 4, 5, 4



- Pretty nice for getting your opponent off the stage, since Pikachu rolls backwards before throwing.



Up Throw
Pikachu pops the opponent up and head butts them into the air.

10% damage / 355%
Diminishing Value: 10, 9, 8, 7, 7, 6, 5, 4, 5, 4





Down Throw
Pikachu throws his opponent down and jumps on them.
A useful throw.

10% damage / 638%
Diminishing Value: 10, 9, 8, 7, 7, 6, 5, 6, 4, 5



- Can chain grab certain characters with this. (See "Strategies" section).
- Sets up for U-tilt / U-Smash pretty nicely.



Final Smash - Volt Tackle
Pikachu turns into a large, flying ball of electricity.
It's a little hard to control...



- Press A to unleash a burst attack, but you'll have to wait for your orb to charge afterwards.



Up Taunt
Pikachu charges electricity.



Side Taunt
Pikachu faces the camera and says "Pika-Pika!"



Down Taunt
Pikachu happily rolls on the ground while saying "Pikaaaaa~!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[TEQ] - Advanced Techniques
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pikachu has quite a few advanced techniques, and among them is one called "Quick Attack Cancel" - probably the most important one to learn to play Pikachu at your fullest potential.



Teching
Pikachu quickly stops himself from helplessly hitting a surface and being bounced around.
Especially important to master on stages with walls / ceilings - it could save you during a sudden death as well.



How to: Shield right before you hit a surface after being knocked away.



Shield Dash
Pikachu slides forward while being protected by his shield.

- Can be used as an approach



How to: Shield once you have a decent amount of momentum.



Shield Grab
Pretty basic, come to think of it.
Used as a counter attack after shielding your opponent's attack.



How to: Press A while your shield is active.



Foot-stool Stomp
Pikachu uses the opponent's head as a jump board.
Not too many practical uses with Pika.

- Use to meteor them as they're trying to recover.
- Maybe Toadstool Stomp -> QAC into them -> Nair?
- Can Toadstool Jump up to four times without landing.



How to: Press your jump button when you're near your opponent's head.



Pivot & Pivot Grab
Pikachu skids and turns around. Can also grab during this animation.
Pivot grabs can be used as a surprise attack.

- Pivot grabs have longer range than regular grabs.



- Pivot: Tap the control stick in the opposite direction while running.
- Pivot Grab: Press your grab button as you pivot.



Hugging
Nothing advanced about this one, really.
Run off the edge and tilt the control stick towards the edge to grab it right away. Mainly used to edge hog.



- Lucky's Hadoken Hug
This is suppose to make your character instantly grab the edge.
How to: "Do a backwards hadoken after running off the edge." (meaning quickly press "down, diagonal down, horizontal" on the control stick towards the edge).



Eating on the ground
Pikachu chows down on any food lying around him while laying down.
Nothing spectacular.



How to: Press A while on the ground and near food.



Quick Attack Cancel (QAC)
You really need to learn this.
Basically over clocks Pikachu and turns him into an unpredictable nightmare for your opponent.

How to: line by line!

1 - Quick Attack into the ground.
2 - Do another Quick Attack during the split second you're floating above the ground.
3 - Congratulations, you can now QAC.
3 - Learn its uses / options and practice.

- See "Strategies" section for more information on QAC.



Stutter Stepping
Pikachu moves a little to the left/right before using a F-smash.
Basically gives you more control with spacing your F-smash.

- Forward -
Tap the control stick forward, c-stick smash in the same direction.

- Reverse -
Tap the control stick in one direction, c-stick smash in the other.



Backflip Jump
Not very advanced at all, but I think it deserves mention somewhere.
Tap the control stick in the opposite direction that you're facing and press the Jump button at the same time.

- Stops most (if not all) forward momentum instead of carrying the momentum with your jump.
- Gives you more backward aerial control than a regular jump.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[FTW] - Pikachu Strategies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The basic style Pikachu is played in Brawl.
This could very well differ from person to person, since Pikachu has so many options, but the important thing is to know what's at your disposal and to be able to eat your opponent as an after-the-game snack.



[OFS] - Offense

Chaining Attacks
I don't need to explain this really.

Pretty basic, know your moves and try to figure out combinations that chain into each other. (improvised combos in a sense)



Pressuring
Get off my back, monkey!

Basically keeping your opponent reactive to your actions. You're the one initiating the moves and controlling (to a certain degree) where the combat is taking place.

examples:
1) Thunder Jolt forces your opponent to react. They have to dodge the jolt somehow.
2) Quick Attack Canceling around the stage in an unpredictable order forces your opponent to be reactive to your movements. They will usually become more defensive.



Know your kill moves
You're racking up damage but you can't seem to kill your opponent? Try F-smash instead of Thunder Jolt.

Thunder 2 (Launches to the side)
Thunder (Kill off the top)
F-smash (Strongest hit is right in front of Pika)
U-smash (Strongest hit is right in from of Pika's face)
N-air (Beginning of attack)
D-smash (Careful of diminishing value)
D-air (Only at higher percents)



Edge Guarding
"What's that Lassie, Timmy fell down the well? Well grab the well's edge so he can't recover!"

- Grab the edge
You gain invincibility frames when you grab onto the edge, so use them to avoid your opponent's Up-Special and keep them off the edge.

- RAR Thunder
Pikachu uses thunder off of the stage and lands back on it during the attack.

::Control Stick + B::
Jump off the edge and press down B -> quickly hold back on the control stick. Kind of hard to get the timing down.

::C-stick Specials::
Much easier than the method above. Do a running jump off the edge, followed by tapping the c-stick diagonal down in the opposite direction.

- Thunder Jolt
Make your opponent use their double jump / air dodge to avoid a well placed Thunder Jolt and punish them.

- Chase with an aerial attack
N-air, F-air, or D-air (careful not to fast fall).
N-air is the best choice on paper seeing as it's a viable kill move.

- Toadstool Stomp
Kind of hard to pull it off without being attacked, but you could attempt it. (Safer than some characters thanks to Pika's great recovery).



Punishing
Hey, you're not allowed to hit me! I was lagging from that attack!

Wait for your opponent to make a mistake (by using a laggy move or rolling, etc.) and hit them for it.
Pretty basic, but it's important.



[DFS] - Defense

Spacing
"Can't touch this!"

~ Line by line! ~

1) Play around with Pika's moves so you get a feel for how far the hit boxes on your attacks reach.
2) Same goes for all other characters that you will be fighting - You have to know how close you can be to them without being hit by their attacks.
3) Try to maintain whatever your ideal distance is between you and your opponent. (Good thing about Pikachu is that you can adjust your spacing VERY quickly using QAC - ex: It takes ~1.8 seconds to QAC across Final Destination).
4) You can disrupt your opponent's spacing in many ways, so try stuff out. (ex: Thunder Jolts, QAC spam, delayed attacks such as Skull Bash)
5) If your opponent shields your approach (such as a SH F-air), try to back away during the attack to avoid getting shield grabbed or otherwise countered.





Shielding
Mainly used to block attacks -> counter attack.

- You can counter attack right away if you perfect shield.

List of stuff you can do while shielding:
- Jump (Jump-> Nair is pretty effective if they're right next to you)
- Grab
- Spot dodge
- Roll
- The lag for dropping your shield is almost non-existent, so feel free to use that for something.



Dodging
Just a few notes on dodging.

- Don't roll around the ground excessively (unless you're using down taunt)
- Spot dodge is nice and all, but don't get in the habit of always using it right away. You'll run into trouble against multi-hit attacks (Toon Link's Fsmash for example).
- Time your air dodges well, or you'll get punished. (sandbagged, even).



Recovering
No, I don't mean from last weekend's party - recovering in Brawl.

Basics to Pikachu's recovery:
- Skull Bash to gain horizontal distance.
- Quick Attack to sweet spot onto the edge.
- combine the two.
- ???
- Profit!

Watch out for:
- Skull bashing too early and landing above the edge - you will be punished and/or killed.
- Using a predictable Quick Attack route. (I'm to the right of my opponent, and I need to go left. I think I'll QA directly to the left!)

Do use:
- Thunder Jolts when you're far above the edge.
- Aerial Thunder stalls when you're below the edge and they're chasing you.



[QAZ] - Quick Attack Canceling

Quick Attack Canceling, when used correctly, makes you very unpredictable and annoying for your opponent.
Mind games, son.

::Control Stick + B::
- Easier to QAC Thunder Jolt camp.
- Harder to do everything else.

::C-stick Specials::
- Makes QAC much easier in general.
- ...except for QAC Thunder Jolt camping.
- Also makes RAR Thunder edge guarding easier as a plus.



You can QAC into these attacks:
Remember these.
Jump
Jump F-air
Jump D-air / D-air's Shockwave
Jump U-air
Jump N-air
Jump B-air
Quick Attack
Skull Bash
Thunder Jolt
Thunder



QAC Auto Edge Grab:
Pretty useful.
QAC into the ground in the direction of the edge to sweet spot it. (about one QA's distance)



Chasing DI / techs with QAC:
Basically sends the message "You're going to die and there's nothing you can do about it" to your opponent.
QAC to where you think they're going to land, and keep them from landing there.
(QAC -> Nair works especially well).

Feel free to mind game them while you do this as well.



Multiple QACs:
So much fun...
Fly around the stage in an endless Quick Attack, and rack up your opponent's damage slowly but surely while annoying them.

- I think this is self-explanatory. Experiment with all the different angles you can QAC with, and try to keep one QAC going.



QAC Platform cancel:
I have no idea what this is called.
Basically platform cancel a QAC. (I think this worked - I'll double check later).

- You can also QAC into a pass-through platform, start to pass-through it, and QAC again / do an aerial with little lag as well.



QAC Thunder Jolt camping
Useful.
Basically QAC into a Thunder Jolt. Mix it up with actual attacks or a QAC in place to keep your opponent on their toes.

- When you QAC backwards, you have to quickly (and slightly) lean the control stick in the direction of your opponent before using the Thinder Jolt. Otherwise it will used in the wrong direction. (Timing can be very hard to get down... usually end up doing Skull Bash / Thunder at first).



Quick Attack Lock
Similar to Falco's laser lock / character jab locks.

Found by Scissors Sir at Smashboards. ( http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=162549 )

Quote:

By now everyone should know what time it is when you hear/see the word "lock"
If someone is on the ground (flat, not tripped) you can repeatedly QA across them and they can't get up
The time window that you have to start the lock is about the same as all the other locks mentioned on the boards around here...

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I can't get another quick attack out before the opponent gets up. What am I doing wrong?

A: Well in order for the quick attack to cancel, you have to aim it
into the ground. So just angle the control stick down and towards your
opponent. As soon as it finishes, start another using the same method.
Also you have to keep in mind the time frame that you have to do it in.
Try to do it as close to the time when the opponent first hits the
ground as possible


Q: If this works, why hasn't [insert name of another pika main] made a video of it yet?

A: Just take a second to relax. I'm sure you'll see it eventually. And
also keep in mind that I'm most likely your favorite pika's favorite
pika.


Q: I thought quick attack doesn't have enough stun to keep a person trapped in it

A: Correct, on a standing opponent, it doesn't have enough stun to trap
someone. If your opponent misses a tech, you can use it while they're
on the ground.


Q: I held A and did the quick headbutts until the opponent hit the
ground. I tried to start the lock and he stood back up... what gives?

A: this doesn't work on opponents that fall to the ground from tripping. (Forced or unforced)


Q: does this actually work?

A: Yes.


Q: do you have a video?

A: no, at the moment I don't.


Q: who will be stupid enough to get caught in this?

A: This isn't something that will automatically win tournaments for
you. It is something that will help if the oppurtunity ever arises. No
matter how frequent or rare they may be...

[TWH] - Chain Throwing

Here's a temporary Chain Throw list made by Ruuku over at Smashboards (http://smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=156335&page=3)

Quote (originally posted by Ruuku):

Here's a quick chaingrab list I made. I pretty such that if you do one less throw than the max percentage, you get a free u.smash after a f.throw and a free u.smash/d.smash after the d.throw (a shield canceled dash into f.smash may also work after a f.throw).

Forward throw:

Snake - 0%-60%
Wolf - 0%-60%
Falco - 0%-60%
Ike - 0%-60%
Sheik - 0%-70%
DeDeDe 0%-60%
Bowser - 0%-60%
Sonic 0%-40% (tight timing)
Fox 0%-50%
Captain Falcon - 0%-60%
Ganondorf - 0%-60%

Down throw:

Wolf - 0%-30%
Donkey Kong - 0%-60%
Link - 0%-60%
Sheik - 0%-60%
Fox 0%-70%
Captain Falcon - 0%-80%

Some of them have pretty tight timing (possible at the very first neutral stance frame out of the throw). Just so you all know, I did it all this as fast as I could so it may work on other characters with a specific timing. Also, my opponent try to DI in every direction as well as jumping out.

This may be inaccurate, and I'll update soon.



[CMB] - Potential Combos

Note the "potential", as in they aren't sure hit. (But some are very satisfying when it goes as planned).

1) Full Jump Thunder Jolt towards opponent -> Dtilt -> Running Grab.
2) Grab -> D-Throw -> Utilt-> Thunder.
3) Grab -> U-Throw -> Jump + Uair -> Skull Bash (uncharged).
4) Delayed SH Fair (so the 5th hit doesn't connect) -> Dsmash -> Chase DI with QAC Thunder.
5) Dtilt -> Dash attack.
6) SH D-air -> Utilt.

(Note: I think using a set of combos isn't as good as knowing your moves and improvising, but that's just me).



[MND] - Mind Games

What are they? ~ examples include Chess, Checkers, ... er, wait a minute.
Basically it's you and your opponent trying to read each other throughout a fight and aiming to be one step ahead of the other's thinking. It can also be mentally training your opponent into taking different actions. Here are two examples:

- Trying to read the opponent -
Your opponent is recovering from above, you jump up to make it look like you're attempting to attack him in the air, he air dodges, you QAC back to the ground -> jump -> Nair to catch him as his air dodge ends.
You knew he was going to air dodge, so you were one step ahead of him.

- Training your opponent -
If your opponent is using their shield a lot, start using more grabs. They will be less inclined to shield when you approach, making your standard attacks hit more often as well.

...and that's it. Sorry, but everyone has to learn their own mind games - it's basically what defines their play style.



[STG] - Favorable Stages

Here are some pros / cons for each stage while playing as Pikachu.
Green - Favorable
Yellow - Caution is required
Red - Avoid if possible



Final Destination
The simple, flat stage.


+ Lots of space to QAC around the stage.
+ Opponents have to do something to avoid thunder jolts, since there are no platforms to stay on.
+ The dip in the edge can mess up your opponent's recovery, or make hitting with RAR thunder easier.
+ Can Fthrow chain grab across the stage easily.
- It actually might be worse if they have more spam-friendly projectiles than you. (Toon Link for example)
- The dip can hinder your skull bash recovery if you miss the sweet spot.


Yoshi's Island
Rotating platform in the middle, platform ghosts on the sides.


+ The rotating platform in the middle can curve thunder jolts around, creating a thunder jolt sandwich.
+ Pikachu doesn't have too much trouble at all recovering on this stage.
+ The rotating platform can help set opponents up for QAC -> aerials pretty nicely.
+ Opponents can't glide under the stage to recover on the other side, so they will have to get through your edge guard.
- Kind of short on length, so Fthrow chain grabbing doesn't last as long.


Lylat Cruise
Tilting stage with three platforms and slanted floors.


+ moving floor makes it harder to dodge thunder jolts.
+ RAR Thunder is very effective, as they have to not only worry about the thunder, but also the stage tilting away.
+ Pika has an easier time with the tilting stage thanks to controlled recovery options.
+ Platforms and stage length allow for decent QAC options.
- Sometimes you'll still miss the sweet spot even if you smack your face right into the edge with quick attack.


Battlefield
The stage with three platforms.


- I personally hate this stage on Wi-Fi, as the platforms mess me up way more than help out. (You can get stuck rolling on a platform instead of passing through it with an air dodge, and other annoying things with input delay) Closer to being an advantage off-line though.
+ Quite a bit of room to play with QAC.
+ Easy to grab edge for recovery.
+ Somewhat lower ceiling makes it easier to kill off the top with Thunder.
~ Again, as long as you have complete control over your character's interactions with the platforms, this stage would probably be closer to an advantage, but since I'm including Wi-Fi in this, it's a yellow for now.


Smashville
Pretty basic stage with a moving platform.


+ Decent length to chain grab and such.
+ Can use the moving platform for QAC patterns.
+ Somewhat lower ceiling, so it's easier to kill off the top.
- Moving platform can mess up thunder and get you punished.
- Troublesome on Wi-Fi for the same reason as Battlefield. (although to a lesser degree).


Pokemon Stadium 1
The stage known for its different transformations.


+ Transformations can help create semi-infinites / good camping spots.
+ Nice length + platform setup for grabs / QAC.
+ Edges can mess up your opponent, similar to final Destination.
+ There's a spot below the edge a bit inwards where you can wall jump and sweet spot the edge.
- Transformations can also work against you.
- Platforms can work against you, similar to BF / SV.


Corneria
The stage everyone used to like?


+ Very tight boundaries, makes killing with thunder easy.
+ Can pseudo-infinite against the wall on the lower right.
+ Odd angles make it harder for your opponent to dodge Thunder Jolts.
- Wall can be used against you very easily.
- Along with the tight boundaries.
- Arwings do quite a bit of damage if you get hit by their lasers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[HWO] - Character Match-ups
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Marth
Difficulty: 5/5
Marth is tough, as always.



- Longer range than Pika / more priority thanks to disjointed hitbox, and if that wasn't enough, he's also very fast, so your best bet is to play campy and wait for him to make a mistake. (He can also easily hit you out of QAC).

- Continuously launch varied thunder jolts at him to keep at least some pressure on (expect all of them to be blocked).
- Pika's Fsmash barely has more range than Marth's Fsmash, so if you space things well you could use that.
- You can catch him off-guard every now and then with an uncharged skull bash.
- Dsmash can mess his flow up for a few seconds, but don't chase him into the air unless you're sure you can hit him without getting hit yourself.
- While recovering against a Marth, never try to skull bash onto the stage; only skull bash to sweet spot the edge or below. (He can use counter to send you flying, among other things).
- (needs testing) - If Marth for some reason decides to use shield breaker while you're on the ground, quickly duck and crawl a few steps -> Dtilt. The shield breaker should miss and the lag can be punished.

A few examples of how a Marth approaches:
SH Fair -> Fair -> repeat
SH Fair -> Fast fall -> side+B combo
SH Nair -> Fast fall -> Fsmash
And basically a whole bunch of mixed and matched variations of his attacks



Toon Link
Difficulty: 5/5
Another opponent where you have to play campy.



- He can projectile spam better than you.
- He can null your thunder jolt just by standing.
- He has a disjointed hitbox, meaning more priority and a bit longer reach than you.
- Watch out for his multi-hit Fsmash. (don't try to spot dodge it, shield).



Wolf
Difficulty: 3/5
Probably tougher than I give him credit for.



- Full jump Thunder Jolt -> double jump thunder jolt -> Fast fall Fair -> Dsmash works pretty well if Wolf decides to reflect the first two thunder jolts.
- You can't crawl under his blaster.
- Get used to the spacing of his Fsmash, as a lot of the time Wolfs try to do Fsmash -> Dsmash spam at the moment. (and spot dodge / shield it).
- Think "If I roll, I will be punished."
- Get used to the spacing of the "edge scar" or whatever it's called, and punish it if
they're dumb enough to use it. (also to note, I wouldn't chase a wolf
who's trying to recover. If anything do a RAR thunder, toss a
Thunderjolt, or wait on the stage).
- One way to deal with blaster spam is to spam aerial thunderjolts. (He'll have to do something else if he wants to avoid the jolts).

I don't know too much really, as I haven't fought any good wolfs



Falco
Difficulty: 5/5
What's that? Flying types are weak to Electric? This isn't Pokemon, son!



- The typical Falco will try to spam lasers as soon as the match starts, so get into a crawling position right away.
- Watch out for his chain grab.
- He can also dash attack -> Usmash without lag, so expect that approach.
- He can reflect your jolts / thunder, so try to refrain from using them unless it's to distract or you're sure it will hit.
- His forward + B can travel pretty far as well, so try to get used to the range.
- Sometimes a Falco will try to use neutral A -> Reflector kick on the ground, so DI out and shield if you get caught in it. (but don't get grabbed)
- Watch out for his forward+B on the edge. (he can jump up and use it right away).
- His aerials are also quite strong...

At least his recovery is somewhat predictable...

A pretty common Falco combo at low percents:
chain grab -> dash attack -> Usmash
SH Nair -> other stuff



Mr. Game&Watch
Difficulty: 4/5
2D is where it's at.



- He can bucket your jolts / thunders, so don't use them recklessly.
- If he Dthrows you, get away as soon as possible - chances are he'll try to follow with a Dsmash.
- watch out for Bair spam, and if he's about to break your shield with it, take the hits instead.
- His Dtilt is spam-friendly as well.
- If he spams Dair, try this mind game out: Utilt / Usmash, jump, QAC back to the ground and thunder while he's using Dair. (you might get hit with his Dair anyway, though).
- Thunder Jolts work pretty well as an edge guard, and Nair might be pretty good depending on the situation.

Not as bad as Falco / Marth, in my opinion, but it might be from not playing too many G&W's.



Robot
Difficulty: 4/5
Contrary to popular belief, machines are not weak to electricity.



- Reflects your jolts.
- Angled lasers / Spinning tops.
- Better aerials than yours in every way, so stay on the ground.
- You have a chance with edge guarding with thunder, since his recovery is kind of predictable and limited.
- Play campy.



Link
Difficulty: N/A
-------------------------



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More to come later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[2V2] - Team Play
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This won't be updated for a while.

Lmfao, this is amazing.

You really put a lot of work into this, nice job!

This is looking good
You can now ignore my warning :]

on the chain throw list link should be forward throw and not down throw for the chain grab.

sexy

You forgot jumping out of shield >.>

hows the best Pikachu player?

Thanks for the corrections, I'll include those in the next update.


Who? Probably Anther, since he actually is a Pikachu.

and yeah, I haven't forgotten about this guide (I'm working on the next update)... but I am starting to think a lot of it is inaccurate because my Pika's been getting sandbagged more often than not on Wi-Fi lately

chain grab dosent work all the time like i know link can get out after 2 from 0% just has to be fast

Anther, does he even play pika in brawl?

yes anther plays the pika in brawl.

This is really informative. GJ on this, Kuro!

I've mained Pikachu for a while so most of this stuff is already known. But I'll try to contribute any bit of info I can if I can think of anything.

Guide has been updated!
I'm planning on adding these things:

- More character match-ups
- More Stages
- Team play Info
- Infinite QAC lock info (complete)
- Closing section

If I am missing anything that you can think of, please let me know.

Wow man, amazing guide. I played Pikachu a lot in melee and right at first when Brawl came out, I'm just starting to get back into him again so this is a huge help.

- Xaej