Joker from the Persona series is one of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s latest DLC fighters. He was added to the game alongside his stage, Mementos, and a host of epic music tracks from the Persona series.
Joker is a very agile fighter who excels in both aerial and ground combat. You can move fast, cover a lot of ground, and rain down hails of bullets at your foes to become an annoying trickster.
Since he’s a new fighter, we wanted to provide some tips and tricks on how to get the most out of all his abilities, as well as give our general insight into the character after many hours of play.
If you’re just starting off with Joker, here’s how to get the best out of him.
Specials
Neutral (Gun)
Joker’s Neutral has you wield and shoot a gun that you can shoot continuously by pressing and holding the B button. You can also use the gun in mid-air to dodge around and fire a hail of bullets at foes.
While it’s a useful special, its range is a tad bit shorter than expected. In training mode, the gun can’t reach opponents further than seven blocks away even when it reaches its final form.
This forces players to get up close and personal and combine the gun ability with more abilities to rack up high percentage instead of using it as a zoning tool.
Up (Grappling Hook)
Joker’s Grappling Hook shoots off at a slight diagonal angle and is a great recovery tool since you can pull yourself to the edge pretty quickly without much risk of your opponent countering you.
The hook can also grab opponents who are above you, which is a great way to start a combo attack and rack up a ton of damage.
Side (Eiha)
By using Joker’s side special, you’ll fire a small fire projectile to your side at an angle. If it connects, it’ll deal a small amount of damage over time.
The animation for it lasts a few seconds, however, and if it misses, it can easily leave you open to an attack—so it’s best to try and use the move once you’re sure it’ll hit. Most of the time, it’s good to use as a zoning tool when you want to play more defensively, but also deal some damage over time.
Down (Rebel’s Guard)
This is where the fun begins. Joker’s entire kit arguably revolves around this one move. It can lower the amount of damage dealt to Joker and can even counter a hit if you release the B button at the right time.
By using this move, you fill up Joker’s passive known as Rebellion Gauge, which can unlock Joker’s full potential.
Passive (Rebellion Gauge)
Joker’s Rebellion Gauge is a special meter that constantly rises throughout a match and increases when Joker is hit or behind in a stock battle. You can also fill the meter by successfully using Rebel’s Guard to deflect hits.
Once it maxes out, Joker will summon his Persona, Arsene, who’s completely invincible and stays by Joker’s side until the meter runs out. With Arsene around, Joker’s basic attacks and special moves get a much-needed buff that can turn the tide in any battle.
Arsene Neutral (Gun Special)
Joker’s gun can now shoot three bullets per shot instead of two, but still retains the same small range.
Arsene Up Special (Wings of Rebellion)
No more Grappling Hook—your Up Special now flies you up in the air toward a single point and makes you invincible as you fly. This makes the move perfect when you want to recover but doesn’t offer any special combo set up like before.
Arsene Side Special (Eigaon)
Eiha evolves into Eigaon while Arsene is on your side, which fires a large blast at your opponent in the same angle with a bigger and longer lasting damage effect.
The zoning potential of the move is enormous because you can set up large blast zones to keep foes away, increasing your defensive capabilities for a short time. You can also use it to edge guard foes who are trying to recover.
Arsene Down Special (Tetrakarn/Makarakarn)
Lastly, with your gauge already filled, your Down Special becomes one of two counter-attack moves, each triggering automatically. Melee attacks will be countered by “Tetrakarn,” while projectiles get deflected by “Makarakarn.”
General tips
Here are some general tips to playing Joker that could make a difference between victory and defeat. These will be updated over time:
- Once you have Arsene, punish. Go on the offensive and be aggressive—your moves are so powerful that you could knock an opponent off the stage before he has a chance to notice what’s happened.
- Starting a combo with an aerial grab is a great way to set up a move. You can throw your opponent into the air and grapple him (or vice versa) then do an aerial Up Smash attack to knock an opponent flying off the screen.
- Dying with Arsene can be the worst since it gets rid of your Persona and resets the gauge, forcing you to fill it up all over again.
