Darth Vader

Darth Vader
Information
Species	Human (cyborg)
Homeworld	Tatooine
Series	Star Wars
Affiliation	Sith Order; Galactic Empire
Gender	Male

“	If only YOU knew the pow-er of the Dark Side!	”
—Darth Vader

DARTH VADER COMPLETES THE CIRCLE!

Darth Vader, one of the most famous and bad sci-fi villains of all time, is an occasionally requested character for Smash Bros.. Of course, being a movie character and not a video game one, most of his supporters are whiny kids on Miiverse, but he also sees some support from the more sensible fans, at least more than for Anime Characters. The reveal of Cloud Strife of all things only made him less of an impossibility for Smash.

Plus, he was in Soul Calibur IV as a guest fighter. That game was developed by Namco too. And one of its predecessors had Link in it.

However, Star Wars is now a Disney property, and more people argue for Mickey Mouse's inclusion because of the "cartoony retro mascot" third-party character precedent set by Mega Man and Pac-Man. Also because Epic Mickey started out as a Wii exclusive.

Moveset (by Svedeesh Cheff)[]

Overview[]

Darth Vader is an archetypical super-heavyweight, with a large frame, slow mobility and very powerful attacks. This set of traits gives the Dark Lord high endurance but makes him very susceptible to combos and rushdowns, similar to others of his weight cl. However, Vader sets himself apart from his super-heavyweight brethren in two ways. First of all, Vader is the only sword fighter in his weight cl: his lightsaber gives him exceptional range to complement his power for most attacks. Second is Vader's unique gimmick: his Force Meter. Described below, the Force Meter allows Vader to use many Force-enhanced moves, which can be used for KOs, recovery, or defense. One of Vader's most versatile moves is his neutral special, Force Hang, which has different specialized follow-ups that can be used for attacking, spacing, or setting up combos. Additionally, Vader's down special is a counter with very good defensive utility, giving him some degree of defense against projectiles. While Vader's Force moves are essential to his playstyle, they must be used wisely and sparingly, since using too much Force in one sitting leaves the Sith Lord open to punishment, which is especially problematic considering his vulnerability to combos. Harkening back to Soulcalibur IV, Vader has one of the best meteor smash games of any heavyweight, with Force Grip, his down smash and down aerial all able to send foes careening to their death; however, it is essential that Vader has enough Force left for his main recovery move (Force Kick) so that he himself doesn't go plummeting to his doom as well.

Attributes[]

Weight: Very heavy (120)
Walk speed: Very slow (0.8)
Dash speed: Very slow (1.25)
Air speed: Moderate (1.0)
Falling speed: High (1.7)
Frame data: Medium-poor (on par with Charizard)
Attack power: Very strong (just behind Bowser on average)
Number of jumps: 2
Special Mechanic: Force Meter. Many of Vader's attacks have enhanced properties based on the Force. Whenever Vader uses these attacks, they drain his Force meter. If he runs out of Force, then he will kneel on the ground and grunt with sparks emitting from his suit once the animation for his current attack is finished, allowing him to be punished. However, the Force meter regenerates over time when Vader is not using Force-based moves. Based on the mechanic from Soulcalibur IV.

Neutral moves[]

Jab (AAA) - Three lightsaber strikes. The first two combo naturally, while the third is unsafe like Samus's Jab 2, encouraging the use of different follow-ups. Vader's fastest attack, but still slow compared to other jabs.

Ftilt - Vader leans forwards and swings his lightsaber in a horizontal arc. Good range and a useful spacing tool.

Utilt - Vader swings his lightsaber weakly above his head. Useful for combos and can be chained from his down throw at low percents.

Dtilt - A sliding kick, similar to Cloud's and Mega Man's Dtilts. While more powerful than theirs, it is not as useful due to Vader's much larger frame, which makes him more susceptible to projectiles lower to the ground. Based on the universal “sliding kick” attack from Soulcalibur IV.

Fsmash - Sith Impale. Vader lunges forward and stabs the opponent with his lightsaber. Has amazing range due to the saber and Vader's outstretched arm, and is one of his best KO moves, but comes out slowly and lasts for a short duration. Uses Force.

Usmash - Dark Launcher. Vader forcefully swings his lightsaber upwards, launching the foe. Most useful as a vertical KO move. Uses Force.

Dsmash - Force Crush. Vader slams his hand downwards, burying grounded foes. Breaks shields at full charge. Useful for edgeguarding, as it can meteor smash airborne foes when charged sufficiently. Uses Force.

Dash Attack - Charging Thrust. Vader lunges forward and stabs his lightsaber using both hands.

Nair - Vader spins his lightsaber in a circle around him, similar to Shulk’s, Ike’s and Cloud’s neutral aerials. A useful approach option, autocancels out of a short hop.

Fair - Vader swipes his lightsaber in an arc in front of him. Can be combo’d out of his down throw depending on the foe’s DI.

Uair - Vader thrusts his palm upwards with his hand surrounded in “lightning” (actually kinetite). Can be combo’d out of his down throw depending on the foe's DI, leading to possible KO's.

Bair - Vader stabs his lightsaber behind him. High damage and knockback, KO's fairly early.

Dair - Vader extends his body and stomps below him. Exactly the same as 's down aerial, making it the strongest meteor smash in the game.

Throws[]

Grab - Vader grabs the foe by the neck with one hand. Can be used out of Force Pull if necessary. Based on his neck lift from Episode IV. Has poor range as a standing grab, but superior range if used as a dash or pivot grab.

Pummel - Vader squeezes the foe's neck. Moderately fast and damaging for a pummel.

Fthrow - Dark Vortex. Vader yells “Just die!” and throws the foe in front of him, then throws his lightsaber to strike the foe by spinning in a circle. Vader's best kill throw. Based on his move of the same name from Soulcalibur IV. Uses Force.

Bthrow - Law of the Empire. Vader lifts the foe and holds them above his head, and can carry them similar to Donkey Kong. Can be used for a “Vadercide”.

Uthrow - Vader releases the foe and kicks them upwards.

Dthrow - Force Slam. Vader slams the foe into the ground and pops them up using a small Force Crush. Useful as a combo throw. Uses Force.

Ledge and trip attacks are copied from .

Special moves[]

Neutral B - Force Hang: Vader uses the Force to grab the nearest foe directly in front of him from a distance, hanging them in the air and dealing no damage but immobilizing them for a duration similar to ZSS's fully-charged Paralyzer. Uses Force. The move can be dodged via rolling, spotdodging or airdodging, but goes through shields. It allows for several different follow-ups:

Press B: Force Grip. Vader's signature move, he says “Suffer” and chokes the foe using the Force, racking up damage and causing them to sink to the ground. The foe grips their neck helplessly during the move. Uses Force. Acts as a meteor smash if the foe was airborne.
Pull analog stick towards Vader: Force Pull. Vader pulls the foe towards him, setting them up for combos and throws. Deals no damage or knockback, but leaves the foe in hitstun for a short period. Uses Force.
Push analog stick away from Vader: Force Push. Vader pushes the foe away from him. Most useful for spacing, gimping, or pushing the foe off the stage (similar to Mario's FLUDD). Deals no damage or knockback, but leaves the foe in hitstun for a short period. Uses Force.
Do nothing. In some situations, Vader can use his other moves to take advantage of the foe's immobility, or set them up for teammates in team battles.

Side B - Force Eruption: Vader says “Perish” and hits the foe with a fiery punch. The move is very similar to Falcon Punch, with significant startup and endlag, except that it grants Vader super armor for the duration of the move (similar to Warlock Punch), has much higher knockback, and uses Force. Most useful as a punish or for disrespect. Based on Vader's move of the same name from Soulcalibur IV.

Up B - Terror Heel/Force Kick: Superficially similar to a combination between ZSS’ down special and Cloud’s up special. Vader’s main recovery move, he jumps in the air in an arc and kicks any foes that get in his way. If the B button is pressed again, Vader uses Force to jump higher/farther (greatly improving the move’s recovery potential), and his kick has much greater range and better damage and knockback, with the hitbox extending far past his foot. Based on Vader’s flip kick attack from Soulcalibur IV and the “Force Kick” goof from Return of the Jedi.

Down B - Lightsaber Block/Reflect/Parry: Uses Force. Vader holds his lightsaber downwards in front of him, blocking any attacks and reflecting any projectiles. If the B button is pressed again, Vader uses the Force to strike powerfully with his blade, making the move into a counterattack (although Vader's lightsaber strike has set damage and knockback).

Final Smash - Death Star: Vader says "You may fire when ready," and disappears. A cutscene then plays that shows the Death Star in space, and it fires a laser at the stage, causing a huge explosion. Any foes caught in the explosion take huge damage and knockback. Furthermore, any floating platforms are destroyed, and only reappear along with Vader after 3 seconds.

Other Stuff[]

Taunts:

Vader steps forward, raises his fist and says “Fool”, then steps back again.
Vader faces the camera, raises his fist and says “I have you now!”
Vader retracts his lightsaber, clutches his belt, raises his head and says “I find your lack of faith… disturbing.”
Secret taunt: If Vader just KO’d a foe using Force Hang, he will instead say “Be careful not to choke on your aspirations.”

Victory Poses:

Victory theme: Rock remix of the Imperial March

Vader retracts his lightsaber, clutches his belt and says “The circle… is now complete.”
Vader twirls his lightsaber, walks forwards and says “You cannot escape destiny.”
Vader gestures with his hand, addressing the camera, while saying “You don’t know the *power of the Dark Side!”

KO scream: Vader yells “NOOOOOOOOO!” as he goes blasting off again.

Palette Swaps:

Default: Vader's design from The Empire Strikes Back.
Blue: Based on Vader's second-player costume from Soulcalibur IV (albeit with his cape), primarily dark blue with white shoulder armor.
Red: Based on the Emperor's Royal Guards.
Black: Based on Kylo Ren, with more silver on Vader's mask and more black on his armor (with fewer colors).
Green: Based on Boba Fett, with green, colorful armor, a tan cape and the Mandalorian symbol on Vader's left shoulder.
Silver: Based on Captain Phasma, with silver armor and an orange cape.
Pink: Based on the “Hello Kitty Vader” meme photograph, complete with a hot pink lightsaber. The perfect costume for disrespect and meme-ing.
White: Based on the redeemed Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Infinities, with white armor and a blue lightsaber.

Kirby hat: Kirby gets Vader's mask and helmet and can use Force Hang and all its follow-ups. He humorously imitates Vader's breathing, and also imitates Vader saying “Suffer!” if he uses Force Grip.

Supporters[]

Sign here if you want to see the Dark Lord of the Sith in a future Smash game.

Trivia[]

Back in the Brawl days, Darth Vader was Asuka Langley's most wanted Smash newcomer, period. She would persistently argue about how Vader would be so much of a more sensible inclusion than Snake, mostly out of jealousy for Soul Calibur getting the character before Smash. Vader continues to be on her list of most wanted newcomers along with other outlandish choices like Son Goku and D.Va from Overwatch.
Asuka Langley painted one of her old Meta Knight amiibo in a Vader-inspired color scheme, complete with red Galaxia "lightsaber".
King K. Rool, of all characters, talks and acts like a parody of Darth Vader in Donkey Kong 64.