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The strongest fan-made Super Smash Bros. movesets begin with a character’s identity, not a pile of attacks. Choose the few traits players must recognize, turn those traits into a clear gameplay promise, assign each move a job, and then test whether opponents have understandable ways to respond. This method works for an original fighter, a requested crossover character, or a redesign of an existing roster member.
Use the four special directions documented for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U as a planning baseline—standard, side, up, and down special—but select the rest of the attack categories from the specific game edition you are designing for. Nintendo’s guide describes custom variations for those four directions in that title; it does not establish one universal moveset template for every entry in the series.
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1. Write a one-sentence identity before choosing attacks
Start by completing this sentence: “This character is the fighter who…” The answer should describe how the character is recognized in their own series and what a player should feel when controlling them in Smash. Keep the first draft to three or four high-signal traits rather than listing every reference you can find.
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- Movement: flight, teleportation, wall-running, rolling, skating, burrowing, hovering, or unusually heavy or agile motion.
- Powers: elemental attacks, spells, transformations, technology, summons, or a resource the character repeatedly uses.
- Story role and personality: a cautious strategist, reckless rival, guardian, trickster, healer, leader, or relentless pursuer.
A useful identity statement is specific enough to guide decisions. “A sword user with projectiles” is too broad because many Smash fighters fit it. “A patient mage who controls space with a tome and spends a limited reserve of spells” gives you a direction for range, resources, animation, and counterplay.
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- New stages and fighters are joined by the combined rosters of every past Super Smash Bros. Game
- Challenge others anytime, anywhere, whether you're on the couch or on the go
- Play any way you want—locally, online, in TV mode, Tabletop mode, Handheld mode, or even with GameCube Controllers
- Fight faster and smarter with new and returning techniques, like the perfect shield and directional air dodge
- Face off in 2-4 player battles, or play against the computer
2. Choose the gameplay promise
Complete a second sentence: “This fighter feels different because…” This is the gameplay promise—the central experience that separates the character from fighters who happen to use similar weapons.
Possible promises include controlling distance with a tool, switching between two modes, managing ammunition, setting traps, converting a successful hit into mobility, or applying close-range pressure after a risky approach. These are brainstorming categories for a fan project, not official Nintendo classifications. Pick one center of gravity and let the moves support it.
Compare the concept with existing fighters
List the closest existing characters and write down what your concept does that they do not. A sword, projectile, counter, recovery move, or command grab is not automatically a problem; the issue is whether the complete character has a reason to be chosen. If your only distinction is a different animation on familiar moves, the concept needs a stronger promise.
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Masahiro Sakurai described this concern when discussing Chrom and Robin. He explained that Chrom risked resembling other sword fighters, while Robin offered different characteristics and represented the Fire Emblem series. In another 2014 interview about Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, he called the goal of creating large differences between characters their “dynamic range.” Treat that as a design test: a player should be able to describe your fighter’s unusual decision-making without naming an animation.
3. Research the source material for high-signal ideas
Make a short inventory of abilities, equipment, animations, sound cues, enemies, and story moments. Then rank each item by two questions:
- Would a fan recognize it immediately?
- Can it become an understandable action in a fighting game?
Prioritize ideas that score well on both. A famous tool that can be aimed, swung, thrown, charged, or used for movement is usually more useful than a minor reference that has no clear interaction. You can still reserve a low-priority reference for a taunt, victory animation, effect, or alternate costume rather than forcing it into a combat slot.
What an official example shows
Nintendo’s Brawl-era profile for Link connects the Twilight Princess version of the character and his equipment arsenal with his moves. The profile identifies Hero’s Bow, Gale Boomerang, Spin Attack, and Bomb as specials. The lesson is not that every character needs exactly those functions; it is that recognizable equipment can become a coherent combat kit when each item has a distinct use.
Use the source series as a parts library, then arrange those parts around your gameplay promise. A character known for five tools does not need five independent projectile buttons if that would make the fighter repetitive. One tool might become a neutral special, another a throw animation, and a third a passive visual detail.
4. Translate source traits into playable actions
For every important trait, write a possible action and its intended player decision. A good translation answers what the player presses, what changes on screen, why they would choose it, and what an opponent can do about it.
| Source trait | Smash translation | Player decision | Opponent response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-range tool | A projectile that can be aimed or angled | Trade safety and charge time for space control | Shield, jump, reflect, interrupt, or approach during recovery |
| Fast traversal | A burst movement attack or tether | Use it to approach, escape, or recover | Anticipate the endpoint and punish its commitment |
| Elemental power | A status, zone, or attack with a distinct trajectory | Choose immediate damage or a setup effect | Leave the area, block, or exploit limited uses |
| Transformation | A stance or temporary mode | Trade one set of strengths for another | Wait out the mode, force a mistake, or attack the transition |
Direct source abilities are the easiest starting point, but adaptation is legitimate when it clarifies the character. In a 2014 Famitsu-column excerpt reproduced by Nintendo Life, Sakurai said Robin received sword attacks and magic-tome specials, including down-special dark magic, even though Robin did not use dark magic in Fire Emblem: Awakening. His explanation was: “It isn’t the first time I’ve given moves to a character that they don’t use in their respective game in order to capture certain aspects of the original title.” Use an invention or alteration only when it strengthens the character’s identity, fills a necessary gameplay role, or makes the source theme easier to understand.
5. Fill the four special directions
For a 3DS/Wii U-style planning sheet, assign one concept to each of the four directions. Nintendo’s character-creation guide for that title identifies standard, side, up, and down special slots and describes three variations per direction through its custom-move feature. Do not assume those custom-move rules or slot details apply unchanged to every later or earlier game.
| Slot | Design question | Common job to consider | Trade-off to specify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard special | What signature ability works without a directional input? | A defining tool, charge, resource action, or central attack | Charge time, limited stock, short range, or vulnerability during use |
| Side special | What creates horizontal pressure or movement? | Approach, spacing, dash attack, thrown object, or advancing stance | Predictable trajectory, end lag, unsafe impact, or limited steering |
| Up special | How does the character return to the stage? | Vertical strike, leap, tether, flight, teleport, or recovery tool | Weak hitbox, one-use resource, linear path, or exploitable landing |
| Down special | What defensive, setup, stance, or resource idea belongs here? | Trap, counter, mode switch, spell, parry, or item management | Activation tell, cooldown, exposed startup, or setup time |
Do not force a source reference into a slot that makes the whole fighter confusing. If the most recognizable ability is a recovery technique, it can be an up special even if the character normally uses it offensively. The move’s direction communicates its role to the player.
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6. Build the rest of the kit for the chosen edition
After the specials, consult the control scheme and roster conventions of the exact game you are targeting. Draft the ground attacks, aerials, dash and tilt attacks, grabs, throws, defensive options, taunts, and any edition-specific mechanics that the game requires. The sources used here do not provide an edition-independent attack-count template, so do not present one as an official rule.
Ground attacks
Give the character a fast option for interrupting pressure, a reliable horizontal option for taking space, and at least one move that expresses the source identity. A heavy tool can be powerful without making every ground attack slow; pair commitment-heavy swings with a quick check that prevents the fighter from feeling helpless.
Aerial attacks
Decide which aerial covers below, in front, behind, and above the character. These do not need identical strength. A downward spell might start combos but have a narrow hitbox, while a backward tool swing could be safe but weak. Match the animation to the intended direction so opponents can read it.
Grabs, throws, and defense
Choose whether the character wants to pressure shields, escape disadvantage, or maintain distance. Throws can reference source actions—such as a command, launch, or magical bind—without becoming four unrelated callbacks. Defensive options should support the gameplay promise rather than erase its weaknesses.
Recovery and disadvantage
A recovery move is not only a route back to the stage. Specify whether it is fast, steerable, armored, tethered, or vulnerable after reaching the ledge. A character who controls space safely still needs situations in which an opponent can force them to recover from below or from the side.
7. Give every move a job and a cost
Before assigning damage or knockback, write a one-line job description for every move. Then record the cost that keeps the decision meaningful. This prevents a list of spectacular references from turning into several buttons that all do the same thing.
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- New stages and fighters are joined by the combined rosters of every past Super Smash Bros. game
- Play any way you want—locally, online, in TV mode, Tabletop mode, Handheld mode, or even with GameCube Controllers
- Fight faster and smarter with new and returning techniques, like the perfect shield and directional air dodge
| Worksheet field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Source inspiration | The weapon, ability, scene, or theme being represented |
| Intended use | Approach, punish, combo, ledge control, escape, setup, recovery, or another specific purpose |
| Range and direction | Where the hitbox or effect reaches and whether it can be aimed |
| Commitment | Startup, end lag, landing vulnerability, ammunition, cooldown, or resource cost |
| Opponent response | Shield, jump, spot dodge, interruption, reflection, waiting, or attacking a known endpoint |
| Visual and audio tell | What communicates the move’s timing and threat before impact |
If two moves have the same range, speed, reward, and purpose, merge them or give one a distinct condition. Similar-looking attacks can remain if one is safer, one reaches farther, or one consumes a resource; the difference must matter during play.
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When you have two possible versions of a fighter, score each concept on the following axes. These are fan-design tools, not published Nintendo criteria.
| Axis | Question | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Source fidelity | Does the kit use abilities, objects, and themes the character is known for? | The moves could belong to almost any character after the names and effects are removed. |
| Distinctiveness | Does the fighter create a different decision pattern from existing characters? | The concept is defined only by a weapon category or a familiar special move. |
| Readability | Can another player tell what the move does and how to respond? | Invisible timing, unexplained effects, or ambiguous hitboxes decide exchanges. |
| Role coverage | Can the character approach, contest space, defend, recover, and convert openings? | One move solves every situation, or a missing role makes the fighter unable to play their intended game. |
Fidelity and distinctiveness should reinforce each other. A highly accurate reference that produces generic play is weaker than a modest adaptation that makes the character unmistakable in motion.
9. Make counterplay visible
Balance is more than choosing a damage number. For each strong option, state how an opponent can recognize and answer it. Useful counterplay tools include:
- Startup tells: a pose, sound, glow, or charge animation that reveals the threat.
- Recovery windows: end lag or landing vulnerability after a powerful attack.
- Range limits: a projectile that disappears, weakens, or becomes unsafe at a defined distance.
- Resource rules: ammunition, cooldowns, durability, or a visible meter that prevents endless repetition.
- Predictable endpoints: a tether, teleport, or dash that can be intercepted when its destination is known.
- Trade-offs: a stance that improves offense while reducing mobility, or a trap that occupies time and space before it becomes useful.
Readability does not require making every move weak. It means the opponent can learn the interaction and make a deliberate choice instead of losing to an effect they could not see or understand.
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10. Check strengths, weaknesses, and repetition
Run this checklist after the first complete draft:
- Can the fighter begin an approach without relying on one unavoidable option?
- Can they contest an opponent who stays far away?
- Can they deal with a shield, a jump, and a fast rush?
- Do they have a recovery route with a meaningful vulnerability?
- Are their best moves strong for a reason that opponents can identify?
- Does each special have a separate job?
- Do several attacks accidentally provide the same reward with no added risk?
- Can the source inspiration be recognized from gameplay, not only from the move names?
Write the answers as strengths and weaknesses in plain language. “Excellent at setting a slow trap but vulnerable while placing it” is more useful than “high zoning.” A weakness should create a decision for the opponent, not merely reduce a statistic.
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- New stages and fighters are joined by the combined rosters of every past Super Smash Bros. game
- Challenge others anytime, anywhere, whether you're on the couch or on the go
- Play any way you want—locally, online, in TV mode, Tabletop mode, Handheld mode, or even with GameCube Controllers
- Fight faster and smarter with new and returning techniques, like the perfect shield and directional air dodge
11. Use a small worked example
Suppose you are designing a fictional courier who carries a wind-powered glider, a signal flare, and a collapsible staff. The identity statement could be: “A mobile courier who creates space with wind tools, then commits to staff pressure.” The gameplay promise is: “This fighter feels different because movement and setup are linked; preparing a route improves mobility but gives the opponent time to interrupt.”
| Slot | Example concept | Job and cost |
|---|---|---|
| Standard special | Signal flare that marks a location | Creates a future wind burst; the flare has startup and can be destroyed. |
| Side special | Glider dash | Crosses space quickly; the endpoint is predictable and punishable. |
| Up special | Updraft launch | Provides recovery and steering; loses strength if the flare was not prepared. |
| Down special | Staff stance | Improves close-range reach briefly but slows turning and exposes the character from behind. |
The example is not a claim about an official character. Its purpose is to show how an identity, a promise, source-inspired actions, and counterplay can fit together before any frame data is selected.
12. Playtest in focused passes
If you can build or mock up the moves, test one question at a time. Ask a player to identify the fighter’s hook after a short session, then watch whether the strongest option dominates neutral, defense, or recovery. Record moments when a move feels useless, unavoidable, or indistinguishable from another move.
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Sakurai’s account of the 3DS/Wii U production process describes continuous work on models, animation, audio, and balancing, with a testing team playing regularly. He said, “The process, however, of actually creating a character often takes well over a year, where we are constantly working on the model, the animations, the audio and the balancing.” That is historical evidence about a professional game’s development, not a required schedule or procedure for a fan project. The practical lesson is to expect iteration: a moveset becomes coherent through repeated observation and adjustment.
13. Keep the edition and evidence boundaries clear
Label your document with the target game or ruleset. The four-special-slot and custom-variation information cited here comes from Nintendo’s 3DS/Wii U-era guide. The Link equipment example is Brawl-era. Neither source should be used to claim that an Ultimate, Melee, or future entry has the same move categories, custom options, or balance conventions.
Likewise, Sakurai’s comments about Robin, Chrom, dynamic range, and development describe particular design decisions and a particular production context. They support using source identity, distinctiveness, adaptation, and iteration as design considerations; they do not provide a universal attack count, frame-data formula, or fan-development benchmark.
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14. Printable fan-made moveset worksheet
Copy this worksheet for each character. Fill it out before polishing names, effects, or numbers.
| Section | Your decision |
|---|---|
| Core identity | Which three or four traits must players recognize? |
| Gameplay hook | What makes the character play differently from the closest existing fighters? |
| Standard special | Which signature ability works without a direction, and what limits it? |
| Side special | What creates horizontal pressure, approach, or spacing? |
| Up special | How does the character recover, and what vulnerability does that route carry? |
| Down special | What defensive, setup, stance, or resource idea belongs here? |
| Other attacks | Which ground, aerial, grab, throw, and defensive categories does the chosen edition require? |
| Strengths and weaknesses | What does the fighter do well, and what can an opponent exploit? |
| Counterplay | What tells, cooldowns, range limits, recovery windows, or commitments make decisions readable? |
| Playtest notes | Which move was misunderstood, overused, ineffective, or indistinguishable from another? |
A finished moveset should let a reader answer three questions immediately: who this character is, what unusual game they want to play, and how an opponent can stop them. If any answer is unclear, return to the identity statement and gameplay promise before adding more attacks.
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