Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Character Profiles: R.O.B.

It's a brand new year. And with a brand new year comes Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, marking 20 years of Nintendo's platform fighting franchise. Everyone from every one of the previous Super Smash Bros. game is back for another battle, along with entirely new fighters to the series.

The game may be out in the wild, but with so many characters to choose from, Shacknews remains committed to taking a look at each and every one of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters individually. And we are continuing to do so beyond the game's arrival date.

The final version is in the consumer hands, but these profiles should still not be considered final and can be updated at any time. Any guide that has been updated will be clearly marked.

Here's what we have up so far:
#01 - Mario
#02 - Donkey Kong
#03 - Link
#04 - Samus
#06 - Kirby (Updated 9/8/18)
#07 - Fox
#08 - Pikachu
#09 - Luigi
#10 - Ness
#11 - Captain Falcon
#15 - Ice Climbers
#16 - Sheik
#17 - Zelda
#21 - Marth
#23 - Ganondorf
#24 - Mewtwo
#28 - Pit
#30 - Wario
#31 - Snake
#32 - Ike
#33, #34, #35 - Pokemon Trainer
#38 - Sonic (Updated 9/3/18)
#40 - Olimar
#45 - Villager
#46 - Mega Man
#49 - Little Mac
#55 - Pac-Man
#61 - Cloud
#62 - Corrin
#63 - Bayonetta
#64 - Inkling (Updated 12/15/18)
#65 - Ridley
#67 - King K. Rool

Today, we look at a returning character from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, who may be hitting new heights as a combatant.

Who is R.O.B.?

R.O.B. stands for Robotic Operating Buddy. Nintendo has had more than a couple of whacked-out peripherals over its illustrious history. R.O.B. stands as among the first, debuting with the original Nintendo Entertainment System and working with a select number of games. R.O.B. didn't stick around, but his influence is felt anytime Nintendo dares to go bold with experimental ideas like Nintendo Labo.

R.O.B. played a big role in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, particularly in the Subspace Emissary adventure mode. Without spoiling that particular plot point, R.O.B. pops up near the end and his appearance marks a turning point in that narrative.

R.O.B.'s Moves and Fighter Overview

R.O.B. is a heavyweight fighter with some predictably mechanical movement. He uses his robotic limbs to his advantage, able to hit opponents multiple times. He's also got some of the best reach in the game, able to hit his foes from afar and use his specials to gain great recovery distance when knocked off the playing field.

Here are R.O.B.'s special moves:

Robo Beam (Neutral B): R.O.B. fires off a powerful eye beam that offers significant knockback and does heavy damage when fully charged. Charge this up by leaving it idle.
Robo Burner (Up B): This is a move used purely for recovery and does no damage. R.O.B. uses his jets to get good recovery distance and can use follow-up attacks while ascending.
Arm Rotor (Side B): R.O.B. spins around like a whirly-bird and connects with nearby opponents. Not only does the final blow have KO potential, but it can also reflect projectiles.
Gyro (Down B): Taking a cue from Gyromite, R.O.B. sends out a spinning top, which can deal damage when opponents run into them or whenever they're thrown. It's a pesky move and one that's typically used as a combo starter.
Super Diffusion Beam (Final Smash): R.O.B. fires off a massive laser and often KO's any opponent it hits.

R.O.B.'s motors have been significantly upgraded, as he now carries a much faster dashing speed. His aerials are faster and hit harder than they did in previous Smash games. His smash attacks are largely improved, with his forward and down-smashes in particular getting a big damage boost.

Robo Beam is a much more effective move than it was in the previous Smash game. Not only does it charge faster, but a fully-charged beam will now cover a greater area. Arm Rotor is flat-out killer, getting a faster startup and a damage boost that makes it a much more reliable KO option. Gyro is still a good zoning option and can now be cancelled to help avoid incoming enemies.

Esports Observations

Normally, we lead off with some recognizable Smash pros or Smash community members, but we're doing things a little differently today. Dragoomba isn't exactly a household name, but he's starting to stand out thanks to his incredible R.O.B. play. He's popped up on D'Ron "D1" Maingrette's radar in recent weeks mostly because of play like this.

Really, the R.O.B. play doesn't get much better than Dragoomba's at this point in time.

The Beefy Smash Doods have also been paying attention to R.O.B. and put together a video detailing his incredible combo potential.

While R.O.B.'s combos and specials are doing a lot of work in Ultimate so far, Calvin "GimR" Lofton points out that R.O.B.'s down-throw is also a serious force to be reckoned with.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is out now on Nintendo Switch. We're still going through every single character, so be sure to check back in often for more profiles. For more on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, be sure to check out our recent guides.