Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Character Profiles: Wolf

It's been 20 years since Super Smash Bros. first graced a Nintendo console. And it's only gotten better since. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the culmination of this great franchise, with everybody from the franchise returning for another battle, along with some new characters.

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
#05 - Yoshi
#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
#42 - R.O.B.
#45 - Villager
#46 - Mega Man
#49 - Little Mac
#55 - Pac-Man
#61 - Cloud
#62 - Corrin
#63 - Bayonetta (Updated 1/11/19)
#64 - Inkling (Updated 12/15/18)
#65 - Ridley
#67 - King K. Rool

Today, we by looking at another returning character from Super Smash Bros. Brawl..

Who is Wolf?

So let's get this out of the way.

Wolf O'Donnell is Fox McCloud's greatest rival. Wolf runs a competing group of mercenary pilots, one that's more cutthroat than Star Fox. Star Wolf's biggest job was working under Andross, as the mad scientist made his bid to take over the galaxy. Since then, Star Wolf has taken odd jobs here and there and even shifted its roster around, with Wolf citing that former Pigma Dengar was removed because of his lack of honor.

And yes, Star Wolf does have a code of honor. Wolf isn't a traditional villain and has worked with Fox in the past whenever the greater good has required it. But even as he fought alongside Fox in the Aparoid War, Wolf has made it clear that he's looking to be the one to take down Fox and his crew, once and for all.

Wolf's Moves and Fighter Overview

Wolf controls differently than Fox and Falco, despite sharing some of the same special moves. Wolf utilizes a greater power game, which means his specials hit harder and are better capable of KO-ing his opponents. Even with the boost in power, Wolf is still a fairly nimble character himself, able to use aerial combos to set up his ground-based arsenal.

Here are Wolf's special moves:

Blaster (Neutral B): Wolf's blaster is much bigger than Fox's, able to hit for moderate damage and also get great range. And because the blaster is bigger, it can also deliver melee damage when up close.
Fire Wolf (Up B): Wolf fires himself in any given direction, getting decent recovery distance. This also deals multiple hits for moderate damage, though the kick at the end is capable of KO-ing opponents at higher percentages.
Wolf Flash (Side B): Unlike Fox and Falco, Wolf's Side-B has him dash at a slight upward angle. This move can do heavy damage and also has meteor smash properties, allowing Wolf to spike opponents with it.
Reflector (Down B): Reflector sends opponent projectiles back at them, hitting for greater damage. It also works as a close-range move, with the Reflector itself dealing decent damage. However, Reflector won't slow Wolf's descent.
Team Star Wolf (Final Smash): Wolf calls upon the rest of the Star Wolf team, who show up and blast nearby targets.

Wolf was a formidable fighter in Brawl, but he's back and better than ever. His tilts and his dash attack all deal greater damage, while his forward smash now works as a much better finisher than it did before. The mechanical changes to Ultimate also make Wolf a strong aerial fighter, with his neutral air and up airs dealing greater damage. Wolf's aerials as a whole also go off quicker in most cases.

Wolf's specials have been overhauled for the better. Blaster deals more damage, Wolf Flash can now be aimed and does much greater damage, and Fire Wolf deals a strong final hit. All of this adds up to a stronger Wolf than the one in Brawl and the Wolf in Brawl was already pretty strong to begin with.

Esports Observations

As the competitive Ultimate meta sorts itself out, Wolf is becoming a more enticing option for competitive players. Here's Melee EVO champion William "Leffen" Hjelte explaining the pros and cons of Wolf. Leffen does cite that the biggest thing working against Wolf is his poor recovery.

Speaking of Melee players, here's Justin "Wizzrobe" Hallett, who has also gotten on board with Wolf. Here he not only goes over what makes Wolf a great character, he also offers up a handy tutorial on how to approach the character.

And hey, why not keep going with another Melee player. Here's Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman going over Wolf and some of his key changes from Brawl, including a forward-tilt that gets much greater range than it did previously. M2K offers up his own guide for how to play Wolf, particularly in competitive circles.

Lastly, we turn to Gonzalo "ZeRo" Barrios, who shows what makes Wolf such a high-end character. Wolf's versatility has won the multi-time Smash 4 champion over, with his powerful specials, an improved back throw, and more effective finishers.

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.