Little Mac (SSBU)

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Little Mac in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Universe	Punch-Out!!
Other playable appearance	in SSB4
Availability	Unlockable
Final Smash	Giga Mac Rush

“	As a boxer, Little Mac fights with his fists alone—no kicks! When his Power Meter fills up, he can use a special KO Uppercut, which can really turn a battle around. For his Final Smash, he turns into Giga Mac and pummels the opponent with a furious rush of punches!	”
—Super Smash Blog, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Official Site

Little Mac (リトル・マック, Little Mac) is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, officially confirmed on June 12th, 2018. Little Mac is classified as fighter #49.

Kosuke Toriumi reprises his role as Little Mac in the game, via reused voice clips from Smash 4.

How to unlock

Complete one of the following:

• Play VS. matches, with Little Mac being the 20th character to be unlocked.
• Clear Classic Mode with Mario or any character in his unlock tree, being the third character unlocked after Bayonetta.
• Have Little Mac join the player's party in World of Light.

With the exception of the third method, Little Mac must then be defeated on Boxing Ring.

Changes from Super Smash Bros. 4

Little Mac has gained a mixed bag of changes during his transition from Smash 4 to Ultimate. While he has received notable improvements both directly and from game engine changes, he received more drastic nerfs to his damage and combo potential, with some universal changes harming him more significantly compared to the cast. As a result, Little Mac has been nerfed overall.

His biggest buff involves his notoriously poor recovery: it has been extended and has greater mixup potential due to readdition of directional air dodges, Jolt Haymaker no longer causing helplessness while traveling more distance, and KO Uppercut granting recovery distance in midair. His attributes have also been modified, as he now has a considerably faster air speed which helps him recover easier, higher jumps which no longer make him as vulnerable to platform camping (while also improving his recovery), and the second highest falling speed which makes it easier for him to return to the ground. He also benefits heavily from some universal changes: the readdition of dash dancing grants him one of the game's best dash dances, the universal nerf to grabs and shield grabs makes him more difficult to punish out of shield, and dash cancels give him arguably the biggest benefit of any fighter, as he now has access to all his grounded options at any time. Some of his ground moves have been improved: all versions of forward smash have lost their sourspots, up tilt's already good combo potential has been improved, while Straight Lunge gains damage while charging, can now be shield-canceled and can be turned around if needed, and deals a consistent 30% when fully charged.

However, Little Mac has received significant nerfs. Many engine changes have removed some of his strongest ground advantages: the inability to run past shields make it easier to corner Little Mac and read his fairly linear approach, the removal of perfect pivoting eliminates his extremely strong microspacing tactics, and Straight Lunge's armor can no longer withstand edge attacks due to them now doing 9% throughout the cast. He has also been nerfed directly: KO Uppercut no longer KOs excessively early and is lost faster, his best damage-racking abilities are weaker, as neutral attack, neutral infinite and up tilt all deal less damage, while his down tilt is slower, removing majority of its previously excellent followup potential, with its only consistent followup now being Jolt Haymaker. As a result, Little Mac's ground game has actually become worse, as he has to deal more hits and has less followup potential, while still lacking useful moves to edgeguard or attack offstage opponents with (apart from Jolt Haymaker and down smash).

In addition, despite some of the universal changes improving Mac, other indirect changes have significantly harmed him. Since defensive options (shielding, air dodges, rolls, and spot dodges) have been nerfed, Little Mac's defense is more exploitable since he is extremely reliant on dodges and shielding, and the limitation to a single air dodge makes him even more susceptible to juggling and gimps despite his improved recovery. His recovery has ironically become less consistent than before, as Jolt Haymaker can now only be used once before landing (making misuse or interception usually fatal for him), and the ending lag of directional air dodges makes it difficult to fully extend his recovery. Finally, the universal reduction of landing lag benefits him far less while strengthening most of the cast's aerial games, making it harder for him to contest against aerial rushdowns.

Overall, despite the abundance of buffs to Little Mac's notorious recovery and the ability to dash cancel moves, Little Mac has indirectly lost many tools that made him effective in the previous game, making him perform worse than his iteration in Smash 4. As a result of this, his reception within the competitive community has been notoriously negative, with some professionals such as ZeRo going as far as to consider him the worst character in the game. Regardless, he still has several dedicated mains to his credit, with Sol continuing to attain decent results with him in the regional levels.

Aesthetics

• As with all veterans returning from SSB4, Little Mac's model features a more subdued color scheme. His clothing now features simple detailing and his muscles are slightly more pronounced.
• Little Mac no longer has sixteen alternate costumes, only eight. Of the cut costumes, his blue and orange outfits have been removed, while Wire-Frame Mac has notably been reduced to just two outfits: his standard and sweatshirt outfits.
• For certain attacks, the visual effects will match the color of Little Mac's boxing gloves.
• Side taunt has been altered to have a significantly more noticeable glove-tightening and arm-swinging animation.
• Air dodge has an altered animation.
• Once KO Uppercut is used or lost, the Power Meter now shows the meter physically draining to zero, rather than cutting immediately to the lowest level.
• Little Mac now winces and frowns while clapping during the results screen.
• Doc Louis' quotes have been shortened in Little Mac's victory poses.
• Doc Louis no longer appears in Little Mac's victory pose during Team Battles.

Attributes

• Like all characters, Little Mac's jumpsquat animation now takes three frames to complete (down from 5).
• Little Mac benefits from the re-addition of directional air dodges, which grant him increased offstage survivability and a new option to mix up his landings.
• Little Mac benefits significantly from the ability to dash cancel almost any grounded attack, increasing the versatility of his ground game.
• As characters no longer dash through each other, many of Little Mac's moves now connect consistently better, most notably with forward smash, Straight Lunge, and KO Uppercut.
  • This change hinders his mixup options, as he can no longer run through opponents for a positional advantage.
• Little Mac dashes much faster (2.24 → 2.464).
• Little Mac walks slightly faster (1.32 → 1.386).
• Little Mac's air speed is much faster (1 → 1.208), going from tied for 31st fastest in Smash 4 to tied for 12th in Ultimate. Among other things, this improves his recovery.
• Little Mac's max additional air acceleration is slightly higher (0.028 → 0.03).
• Little Mac jumps higher, now being able to reach the lower platforms of Battlefield with one full hop, and the top platform with both jumps. This improves his offstage survivability and prevents him from being camped as easily.
• Little Mac's falling speed (1.8 → 1.95) and fast falling speed (1.95 → 3.12) are much faster, now tied with King Dedede for the 2nd highest falling speed. This increases his survivability but makes him easier to combo.
• Little Mac is heavier (82 → 87). This increases his survivability but makes him easier to combo.

Ground attacks

• Like most neutral attacks in the game, the first two hits of Mac's jab can now jab reset, though it can be difficult to land on smaller characters.
  • Due to the universal improvements to neutral infinites, Little Mac's neutral infinite connects significantly better, as it could be escaped from relatively easily in SSB4.
  • All hits of neutral attack deal less damage (2% → 1.5% (hit 1), 2% → 1.5% (hit 2), 7% → 5% (hit 3)).
  • Neutral infinite deals less damage (0.7% → 0.5% (loop)).
  • Holding down the standard attack button now causes Little Mac to do his three hit jab, while mashing it causes him to perform his neutral infinite. Previously, the infinite would be initiated by holding down standard attack.
• Up tilt:
  • Up tilt deals less damage (9% → 6.5%).
  • Up tilt deals far less knockback, allowing for greater combo potential at later percents.
• Down tilt:
  • Down tilt has more ending lag (FAF 22 → 26), significantly reducing its combo ability and followups.
  • Down tilt now always sends opponents in front of Little Mac.
• All smash attacks now cause the screen to shake.
• While using any smash attack, Little Mac now voices out with his weak knockback voice clip if he takes damage during the move. This allows for a minor mindgame when Mac is hit during his super armor state, but is otherwise a small detail.
• All smash attacks trigger Special Zoom if Little Mac is hit during their startup and lands the move on an opponent.
• Forward smash:
  • Unangled forward smash now produces a softer "wind" sound, rather than the sharp punching sound effect used in Smash 4.
  • All versions of forward smash no longer have a sourspot. As a result, all of them deal consistent damage (20% (up, forward), 24% (down)).
  • Unangled forward smash deals less knockback.
  • Downward angled forward smash deals more knockback.
  • Forward smash no longer has a blindspot.

Aerial attacks

• All aerials except for neutral aerial have less landing lag and more KO power, although they are still extremely weak.

Throws/other attacks

• Grab range has been increased.
• Pummel is much faster, but deals less damage (2.1% → 1%).
• Little Mac has altered swing animations for battering items like the Beam Sword, no longer performing a stab forward when using a forward smash. This applies to all except his dash attack. Like in Smash 4, he shares this change with Captain Falcon.
• Down throw deals more knockback, weakening its combo potential.

Special Moves

• Straight Lunge:
  • Straight Lunge can now be canceled by shielding.
  • Like with most non-storable charge moves, Straight Lunge can be unleashed in the opposite direction upon releasing the move.
  • Fully-charged Straight Lunge no longer has a blind spot, as characters can no longer pass through each other.
  • Straight Lunge now gains power and damage as it is charged; previously, it had fixed damage values for an uncharged and fully-charged attack.
    • Uncharged Straight Lunge deals less damage (14% → 12%).
    • Fully-charged Straight Lunge deals more damage (25% → 30%), and now deals consistent damage throughout the move instead of having a weaker late hit.
  • Straight Lunge's heavy armor can no longer withstand edge attacks, as they all do 9% or more throughout the cast.
• KO Uppercut:
  • KO Uppercut has a new animation. Little Mac now performs a jumping uppercut while facing the screen, making it appear more identical to the Star Punch from Punch-Out!! on the NES.
  • KO Uppercut no longer zooms in on Little Mac in a non-1v1 match due to the new Special Zoom mechanic.
  • KO Uppercut's new animation gives the move more vertical range, allowing it to hit opponents on the lower platforms of Battlefield. It also grants recovery distance if used in midair.
  • KO Uppercut is performed faster in general, making it harder to punish.
  • KO Uppercut has lowered knockback, causing it to KO later.
  • KO Uppercut is lost faster if Little Mac is hit.
  • Aerial KO Uppercut is no longer unblockable. [1]
  • KO Uppercut's short jump and increased forward momentum now makes it possible for Mac to be sent offstage accidentally, even when used on the ground.
• Jolt Haymaker:
  • Grounded Jolt Haymaker makes Little Mac spend less time in the air. He also lands with significantly more traction.
  • Grounded Jolt Haymaker has reduced ending lag.
  • Jolt Haymaker deals less knockback.
  • Grounded Jolt Haymaker travels a shorter distance.
  • Jolt Haymaker no longer renders Little Mac helpless and keeps more forward momentum, thus granting more distance. This significantly improves his recovery and turns what was previously a common suicidal mistake into a potent edge guarding tool.
  • All versions of Jolt Haymaker can only be used once until Mac touches the ground again, even if he is hit out of it. This makes it less safe to use, especially if at the risk of being sent offstage.
• Rising Uppercut:
  • Rising Uppercut is stronger and travels a higher distance when performed on the ground.
  • Aerial Rising Uppercut snaps to the ledge earlier on during the move, instead of only during startup and after the final hitbox appears.
  • Aerial Rising Uppercut travels slightly higher.
  • Aerial Rising Uppercut keeps a small amount of forward momentum, slightly improving its horizontal distance.
  • Rising Uppercut's first hit now has a trail to highlight its hitbox.
• Slip Counter:
  • Slip Counter grants less momentum after an aerial counter. This lowers its recovery potential, but makes it less likely that Mac gets accidentally sent offstage by a counter.
  • Slip Counter now produces an aesthetic spark upon retaliating.
• Final Smash:
  • Little Mac has a new Final Smash called Giga Mac Rush. Rather than using Giga Mac as a controllable transformation, Little Mac transforms into his Giga Mac form and rushes forward, and if he comes into contact with an opponent, he unleashes a rush of punches before launching them.

Update History

2.0.0

• Neutral aerial auto-cancels earlier (frame 25 → 16), matching the move's interruptibility.
  • The amount of time Little Mac cannot grab the ledge after performing neutral aerial has been shortened (46 frames → 40).
• The amount of time Little Mac cannot grab the ledge after performing up aerial has been shortened (73 frames → 66).

Moveset

Victory poses

• Does a few punches towards Doc Louis, warming up with him.
• Doc Louis holds up Little Mac's arm like a referee would after a boxing match.
• Runs and gives his back towards the screen, then turns around, looks above and strikes a pose, while Doc Louis cheers him on.
  • Doc Louis can say any of these at random, depending on which costume and pose.

Pose 1	Pose 2	Pose 3
Normal Costumes
"World Circuit's all yours Mac!"	"You win, Mac!"	"Ahh, winnin' feels good, don't it?"
"(in tandem with the announcer) And the winner is… Little Mac!"	"Was that a little too easy for ya, son?"	"Way to go, Mac! You're the champ, baby!"
"Ya got what it takes, Mac!"	"Nice work, Mac. You got it all figured out."	"I think I hear a chocolate bar callin'."
Wireframe Costumes
"Ain't you flashy? You making my eyes water, son."	"Nice moves, Mac. I could barely keep my eyes on ya, son."	"You're lookin' mighty good, son. Just like old times, huh?"

A remix of the theme that plays when the player defeats an opponent in the NES and Wii Punch-Out!! games.

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Classic Mode: Friendly Sparring

Little Mac fights fighters that are close range martial artists. During the battles, every item except the Sandbag is disabled. As such, the Sandbag can be hit but will only spawn visual confetti.

Round	Opponent	Stage	Music	Notes
1	Incineroar	Boxing Ring	Battle! (Elite Four) / Battle! (Solgaleo/Lunala)
2	Ryu	Suzaku Castle	Ryu Stage
3	4 Mii Brawlers	Arena Ferox	Battlefield - Super Smash Bros. Brawl
4	Captain Falcon	Port Town Aero Drive	Dream Chaser
5	Wireframe Mac	Boxing Ring	Jogging / Countdown	If playing as Wireframe Mac, he faces the default Little Mac instead.
6	Donkey Kong	Boxing Ring (Ω form)	Donkey Kong / Donkey Kong Jr. Medley
Bonus Stage
Final	Master Hand	Final Destination	Master Hand	On intensity 7.0 and higher, Crazy Hand fights alongside Master Hand, and the track Master Hand / Crazy Hand plays during the battle.

Role in World of Light

Although Little Mac does not appear in the World of Light opening cutscene, he was vaporized and later imprisoned alongside the rest of the fighters (sans Kirby) when Galeem unleashed his beams of light.

Little Mac can be found near a city area blocked through a door. To reach him, the player must first complete the Power Plant sub-area so the door can open. In the fight against him, he is an Attack spirit and has 3300 power. He is fought on an Omega version of Boxing Ring.

Spirits

Little Mac's Fighter Spirit can be obtained by completing Classic Mode. It is also available periodically for purchase in the shop for 500 coins. Unlocking Little Mac in World of Light allows the player to preview the first spirit below in the Spirit List under the name "???". As a Fighter Spirit, it cannot be used in Spirit Battles and is purely aesthetic. Each Fighter Spirit has an alternate version that replaces them with their artwork in Ultimate.

Additionally, Little Mac makes an appearance as a Primary Spirit as Giga Mac.

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  932. Little Mac

• Giga Mac Spirit.png

  933. Giga Mac

Alternate costumes

Gallery

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  Little Mac's fighter card.

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  Using Jolt Haymaker on Shadow Moses Island.

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  Punching Ganondorf on Coliseum.

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  Performing his side taunt on Wrecking Crew.

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  A bruised Little Mac with Dr. Mario on Tomodachi Life.

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  Wireframe Mac using his down smash against King Dedede on Luigi's Mansion.

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  Giga Mac pummeling Wario.

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  Attacking Bowser on Mushroomy Kingdom.

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  Little Mac being taunted by Captain Falcon on Arena Ferox.

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  Little Mac struck by Corrin's forward smash on Kalos Pokémon League.

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  Hit by Incineroar on Big Blue.

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  Using Jolt Haymaker on Kirby in the Boxing Ring.

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  Getting slammed by Pikachu’s down throw in the Boxing Ring.

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  Getting kicked by Snake on Kalos Pokémon League.

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  Little Mac being attacked by Marshadow on Temple.

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  Little Mac struck by Rodin's version of After-Burner Kick on the Great Plateau Tower.

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  Performing his up taunt on the Bridge of Eldin.

Trivia

• Little Mac's Showcase Video has him follow Wario's motor bike while wearing his pink sweatsuit. This is a reference to the Punch-Out!! series, where Little Mac runs alongside Doc Louis on his bicycle.
• Little Mac's pose in his official art resembles the pose he performs while using Slip Counter.
• Little Mac's Classic Mode has a high spawn rate of Sandbag, as a reference to his reveal video where he has a Sandbag in his training ring, as well as usage of similar punching bags by real boxers.
• Little Mac's penultimate battle in Classic Mode is against Donkey Kong, which alludes to their previous bout in the Wii version of Punch-Out!!.
• Little Mac is unlockable in Mario's Classic Mode column, which could be referencing how Mario refereed the bouts in the NES Punch Out game.
• If Little Mac's on-screen appearance plays with him facing the left, there's an animation error where before he removes his sweatshirt, he's facing away the camera, and by the time he removes it, he faces the camera. This did not occur in Smash 4.