How to Animate a Smash Bros Character // MARIO

How do you adapt a character's animation to the needs of a fighting game like Smash Bros? Learn how Smash Bros animation prioritizes the needs of gameplay AND character simultaneously.
Written and produced by Daniel Floyd
Special thanks to:
-Carrie Floyd
-Soraya Een Hajji
-Barry Kramer
-Eric Luhta
-Kyle Mohr
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Follow me on Twitter (@DanFloydPlus): / danfloydplus
For more games (and animation geekery), check out our other channel, PlayFrame! bit.ly/2lmGte8
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♪ "Wooded Kingdom" by Hyper Potions & James Landino
• Hyper Potions & James ...
...and also selections from the Smash Bros and Mario Odyssey official soundtracks.
#NewFramePlus #SmashBros #animation

[@PeruvianSmore]

"Hundreds of beloved characters and also Pichu" I literally choked and coughed up a french fry I was eating.

[@PeruvianSmore]

ALSO DO DEDEDE NEXT BECAUSE YES PLEASE

[@catherinestickels2591]

I laughed so hard I had to pause the video. That line broke me

[@jimhorn3193]

That was my favorite part of the entire video. Also, yes, Plz DEDEDE NEXT!

[@gamedesignwithmichael]

I love how subtly Dan slides those jokes in. Oh this is very interesting HAHA oh this is very interesting.

[@alder-iris]

It was a great line

[@wuh-huw9950]

This guy really tolerates Sonic

[@chimklee]

As a sonic main I tolerate myself

[@sarinabina5487]

this aged well

[@camrynscouller3882]

I also main sonic it’s basically a free win every time

[@levlev4048]

Exactly no one everyone loves sonic

[@levlev4048]

@@oreogod3943 hi

[@no-ys3sj]

"I'd love to do more of these" Look I'm not telling you how to do your job or anything, I'm just saying you have the ability to do so and that you should do it. Do it. Do it. (do it)

[@yamsthepotatoking9444]

Dewit

[@adamp.3739]

About SSB Ultimate, I think I know who needs to be added into Smash... CARBIDE, DRIFT AND RAGNAROK FROM FORTNITE

[@GlenKStraughn]

My biggest nitpick with Mario's animation throughout the Smash Bros. series is that he basically never smiles. It's just so weird to see him constantly scowling. Fortunately, it looks like he'll lighten up a bit in Ultimate.

[@Lightning-gg5iu]

Glen Straughn He's still has that neutral expression when fighting, but at least he smiles during his taunts

[@suspiciousflamingpyro]

Mario happens to be super competitive. You see this a lot in spinoffs. Mario Kart, Mario Tennis, he has a constant look of determination.

[@Lightning-gg5iu]

Suspicious Flaming Pyro True Even in his new character render, though he doesn't look as pissed off as in Smash 4, still shows he still has that look of determination and a bit a seriousness

[@jh9094]

He is just pissed the princess got kidnapped again

[@reddodeado301]

@@HiimIny The Mario characters have slightly more realistic proportions compared to their home games.

[@johndkleckner]

Dan with the Pichu/Sonic smear agenda

[@PanAndScanBuddy]

To be fair, loving Sonic often means you can't love everything about Sonic. All the different Sonics can vary with the medium and tone. Just bring up Adventures of Sonic vs. Sonic SatAM vs. Sonic Underground. Or 3D vs. 2D.

[@kindoflame]

Everyone worth talking to thinks Sonic is a wonderful character; it's is games that are the problem.

[@IkeOkerekeNews]

@@kindoflame No it isn't.

[@Thraim.]

That Pichu needs a burn heal really quick.

[@IkeOkerekeNews]

@SOnic sucks Its a joke that is frankly, only really funny once. After two times, it is extremely tiring to hear.

[@plet0707]

All of them. You know, if you want to.

[@olivermisbach2454]

There's about 73 so far. That's a lot of videos.

[@gamedesignwithmichael]

At least he won't have to search for content ideas. Videos for years.

[@hoodiesticks]

This seems like the sort of thing Dan would enthusiastically agree to do, finish 3 or 4 episodes, then put it on hold indefinitely in favour of a different massive project that he enthusiastically agrees to do.

[@Sandrilenefatoren]

I want to argue with this statement, but I can't.

[@100billionsubscriberswithn4]

One per video seems a bit extreme. Maybe he should do four or five characters per video.

[@FlowUrbanFlow]

They should give him 1% on footstool, that'd be adorable.

[@darkmyro]

"Beloved characters and pichu" dang "Characters we love or at least tolarate" *shows sonic* *dang!!* *savage*

[@Destiny_Of_Koi]

Savage level: 10,000

[@flargojunior4709]

*DON'T*

[@gonknodge]

To be fair he was just talking about Sonics taunt

[@watashimegoeatacupcake]

Toosoo tbh pichu is better than corrin.

[@countrybluegrass]

Chardee MacDennis He said it twice. 0:35 and 4:04

[@TBSkyen]

PLEASE talk about Mr. Game & Watch! There's so much interesting technique in adapting a character who literally can't have in-betweens into a 60fps fighting game!

[@SaberToothPortilla]

Well, it really isn't *that* different. Only now instead of trying to make a set of pictures that simulate motion when played fast enough, you're trying to make a set of pictures that... don't do that. Which is almost harder when you're still trying to make it look and feel good.

[@jalapenoofjustice4682]

Can his movements really be considered "animation" though?

[@danielmoreira7085]

Oh wow, wasn't expecting our God King presence here

[@PanAndScanBuddy]

@@jalapenoofjustice4682 Short answer: Yes.

[@MichaelSmith-iv2rp]

^^^ This

[@CircleToonsHD]

Very well done, I would love to see more!

[@santiagovelasco1717]

Is so bizarre to see old coments from yputubers Who are Just now popping off

[@damiendevstuff]

me too

[@Wackyviper26]

I agree!

[@ramadrian248]

Same

[@pelerflyp5398]

Wait are they really adding mario to smash?

[@alicap_235]

I just like choked on my water xD

[@azuredragon8388]

Yes. You are currently watch a commercial from nineteen-o-whenever the heck that was a surprise

[@PinHead3333]

Robert Wimms Morning r/WHOOOOOOOOSHHHHHHHHHHHH

[@Big_Z]

Finally!

[@Rose-ez7yn]

I think it's a fake leak...

[@greeninferno1339]

When you’re breaking down a scene frame by frame, can you PLEASE put a number in the corner for each frame? It’ll help :)

[@SocksMacguffin]

What Smash Bros characters should you analyze... Er... All of them. All of them please.

[@timothymclean]

Aren't there about 200 by now?

[@starfalchion4404]

Know Your Moves much? Lol

[@kalaski734]

Timothy McLean There's 67 (73 including the echo fighters)

[@GameDevYal]

How about an episode looking at how Kirby translates the special moves of every other character to a character with almost no limbs to pose with? How did they manage to still make the moves readable and sell the impact if they couldn't rely on a readable silhouette to do the bulk of the job?

[@Sandrilenefatoren]

Wow, that's a great topic idea for a video!

[@LooseCo]

This would be dope as well.

[@Josh-rs9kg]

That "or characters we tolerate" bit hits different after the sonic animation video

[@cyradius662]

I think Mario's Wind-up animation being only like 1 frame is my new favorite thing, because It's so short of a wind-up and its not even a full wind-up but it still qualifies as the necessary wind-up, and that's just... beautiful.

[@generalthl8078]

I'd like to see a comparison between Ryu's animations in Smash and Street Fighter. It'd be interesting to see what tweaks had to be made to make him feel more "smashy".

[@josephsheldrake6410]

Cloud and Bayonetta also run that same topic. They would make terrific compare/contrast subjects.

[@mystery8064]

Don't forget ROB who is an actual toy and G&W who can't have fluid animation due to his origin

[@-nomi.-]

My first thought. Happy to see it here.

[@matthewmorrison3745]

All I need is for every character to dodge while t-posing.

[@MrMarinus18]

@@josephsheldrake6410 With Bayonetta they actually manipulated the animations from her origin game.

[@jcollins82]

"Video game animation has to do more than simply look good. Truly successful game animation looks good while functionally serving the needs of the game." Can't think of a better job description post than that Dan! Nice work on this video! Got me hyped for Smash!

[@theoldabyss]

I'd love to see vids on all of them now >~< Luigi?

[@snertdew2434]

I read that as he said it

[@KevinCow]

I always thought the Smash 64 characters didn't capture the characters quite as well as those in later games, and your analysis of Mario illustrates that well. But I think the biggest offender is DK. His animations are nice and meaty, but the only ones that called back to any DK games were his ground slap down special from DKC and forward air from DK64. He didn't even get his roll - his only attack in the DKC games! - until Smash 4. You could stick those animations onto basically any big heavy character and hardly tell the difference. Much like Mario was designed to be the average character, it seems like DK was designed first to fill the heavy archetype and second to be DK. But then you jump to Smash 4 and look at Mega Man, who captures the character better than any official attempt by Capcom ever has. His look and animations are a perfect translation of his 8-bit sprite, his facial animations really make him feel properly robotic, and all his attacks are directly pulled from his various attacks throughout the series. Or look at K. Rool in Smash Ultimate, whose animations manage to capture the goofy insanity of his original appearances and make direct callbacks to those appearances, but also rejuvenate him to be more ferocious than ever.

[@NewFramePlus]

These are good observations!

[@Sientir]

In a similar vein, I've always felt that Ganondorf suffered mightily from being a clone of Captain Falcon in Melee, and have similar complaints. Why is Ganondorf, known as a sorcerer, a heavy brawler? Where are the projectile attacks? That's how he fights you in Ocarina of Time! I remember hoping for a more faithful rework with Brawl, and being disappointed that there wasn't one.

[@milddiffuse]

@@NewFramePlusSame with Samus, she doesn't fight or feel like her at all.

[@brodun_]

Look at dk's dash attack there is the roll

[@somescrub885]

@@brodun_ did you even read the rest of the sentence you're responding to? "-until Smash 4"

[@KaptinScuzgob]

pls talk about Sandbag

[@LilliHerveau]

underrated idea

[@joshford256]

Now that the Homerun contest is out this is a great idea!

[@elliotblanchfield8432]

Analysing the fire emblem characters could be interesting, since they need to apply moves you were never meant to control to a fighting game

[@SaberToothPortilla]

Yeah, all of the characters that needed to have most of the moveset be original are very cool.

[@gengavari9460]

@@SaberToothPortilla........youre very ignorant

[@Kuuribro]

I'd like to see you do Shulk or Cloud. Those guys are from RPGs, so their animation had very different needs in the first place, having all the time they wanted to build up effects and anticipation. It'd be cool to see how and where they chose to maintain references to those characters.

[@JathanH]

Cloud pls. :)

[@Tezrak0]

Yes definitely Cloud Strife.

[@kindoflame]

For the same reason I want him to do a Pokemon. In addition, each Pokemon character has to represent a species, not an individual, which means you need to invent a personality.

[@JaDX243]

Definetively shulk, there are so much more references to his game plus the delay of most of his moves' startup is a nice way o translating xenoblade's gameplay (seriously cloud has NOTHING besides his specials and a couple moves)

[@alexstewart9592]

I would just like to point out that since Xenoblade is a full real-time RPG and not a turn-based one, so the animation needs are quite different to those in many other RPGs. Oh, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 makes the needs even more unusual, because you can cancel out of most animations directly in to a special at any time (the main exceptions are that it won't work if you can't use a special at all (either due to lack of charge or due to your Blade being too far away, a common occurrence in certain fights because Stench makes your Blade try to stand further away from you because you literally stink at that point) and that you can't cancel out of specific parts of a couple of Arts because you're mid-air for part of the animation) and on top of that you can cancel straight from the final hit of any Art into the startup for any other Art on the same weapon or into a Blade Switch, which means that you can enter most animations from several different paths (and can even get into the animation for some moves from that move's own animation, thanks to effects that recharge Arts while you're in the middle of using an Art (for example, several Arts and Mythra all have a critical recharge effect, which means that while using those Arts or when wielding the Aegis with Mythra getting a critical hit will recharge the currently used Art by the percentage of the effect (all of them max out at 100% charge restored if you get a crit)) and things like Finch's passive, Did I Do That?, which gives her Driver a chance of not actually consuming the charge on any move when you use it (and this one can even let you use the IV special (which puts your whole party in complete invincibility while it is being used) without using it up, letting you use it again immediately)). Finally, text wall.

[@silvesta5027]

I can't believe there hasn't been more smash bros character animation videos, especially for some of the DLC. I feel like Kazuya, Sephiroth and Bayonetta would make INCREDIBLE New Frame Plus episodes. The animation for these characters specifically does such a good job of staying true to the source material. And for me, to learn the 'how' and 'why' that's the case is always so interesting!

[@cyanic3148]

I *just* got the pun of the channel's name

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Do you mean it's derivative from Extra Frames?

[@cyanic3148]

that *and* it's a pun for "New Game+" so, double pun I guess?

[@AModNamedMel]

NOW I GET IT TOO. That was... very obvious. and on point.

[@azuredragon8388]

Cyanic I didn’t notice that either

[@adamharris306]

Why didn't I get that until now!? SHEESH

[@ShermTank7272]

How did I only *just* find out about this channel? I loved this type of analysis stuff Dan has done in the past, so I think it’s great that there’s now a whole channel for this!

[@eyalsalminis5029]

Wow such a high quality video .

[@kempo_95]

It's also his first video on this channel not originally uploaded on EC.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Superbly done, Dan! Excellent editing, detail, analysis! Get in there, son!

[@theforcebreaker5858]

I didn't know this was "Know Your Moves"

[@theforcebreaker5858]

I loved this video, I really wanna see one of these on DK charactera collectively

[@zyaicob]

Dan wins?

[@adippinghippo]

"He golfs, he referees. He Olympics, he parties." 😂

[@XanderVJ]

This are the characters that I'd love (or tolerate) to see analyzed: Link Cloud Kirby (particularly his copy abilities) The Fire Emblem crew (particularly how they handle the differences between Echo Fighters) The Pokémon crew Mr. Game & Watch Wario Duck Hunt I guess we have enough material here for a long time. lol

[@leafMontilla]

I especially like your suggestion of Kirby's copy abilities. I see a lot of people asking for their character to be examined because they want to understand how they successfully transitioned into a fighting game; but with Kirby you take that to the next level! How do you transition - not a character - but an ACTION to an entirely different character who also happens to have such a simple body type? I'd also really like the suggestion of Fire Embleminos, because I'm also interested in learning how to visually differentiate Echo Fighters without having to make COMPLETELY new and different animations and move-set? Seems like figuring that out would be super useful for game developers that don't have the resources to spend on making a ton of different assets.

[@silvesta5027]

:( I really wish he revisited this series. I feel the views would've been really good too, especially if he made an episode whenever a new DLC dropped

[@ruki4929]

Part of me is curious about Wii Fit Trainer, given that they needed to make a character out of a fitness app.

[@ZacharyMathematica]

I nearly fell out of my chair at the "Also Pichu" comment.

[@memoryman3586]

Zachary Wilson Pichu got bouncier animations.

[@justbeleth4088]

7:01 “So long gay bowsa!”

[@lmao2302]

Granted as a semi competitive player I would say Mario's jump is pretty good. His ariel drift and the low lag he has after throwing out an ariel move makes him an ariel threat so in that way you could say his jump is special.

[@MrTokesu]

You could do the different Link variations and how they convey the character of each link.

[@kindoflame]

It would be really interesting to see how Toon Link differs from Link.

[@Iggy30874]

Try watching RelaxAlax's video: Link-Know Your Moves.

[@RobertJW]

Ooh, this is a really good one. Compare Link and Young Link in Melee to Link and Toon Link later on!

[@MrTokesu]

Robert Wallis Oh great idea! I hope Dan sees this.

[@bartleby116]

Analyzing Luigi and Doctor Mario and how they do or don't depart from mario's animation could be pretty interesting. Luigi is pretty obviously different, but he started out as a Mario clone and has built up his own personality and play style over the years. In fact, comparing any clone character could be interesting if there's stuff there to analyze. Fox vs. Falco vs. Wolf, Link vs. Toon Link, Pikachu vs. Pichu, Marth vs. Lucina vs. Roy, Ness vs. Lucas, all come to mind. They aren't all perfect clones, but they are at least comparable.

[@TheProloe]

I'll second this as an interesting topic, at least for one video: how animation differs over characters with similar or identical movesets.

[@jedimasterpickle3]

Throw in Chrom too, once Ultimate comes out.

[@Sandrilenefatoren]

Thirded! This is a fantastic topic, and not only can you give examples of how it's done right, but also compare and contrast those differences and how they convey character.

[@gonderage]

fourthed, dont forget the Ness vs. Lucas vs. Sans either

[@Renewablefrog1224]

I would love to see a video about a character who clearly is not a fighter, like Villager or Mr. Game and Watch.

[@awesomness6775]

3:40 Ok that's gotta be the hardest I've laughed in a while, or at least to a KZbin video.

[@taychh]

yall be dissing pichu now but catch me at evo 2019

[@TenshiSilver7]

Can't wait to see Farmer Squidward vs ZeRo in grand finals.

[@AJ-lw9kp]

I actually want somebody to do well with Pichu at some point.

[@grbrg4007]

AceWire802 I just want someone to go to a tournament and call themselves Farmer Squidward

[@SheezyBites]

I'd love to see Villager or Wii Fit Trainer, getting the feeling of characters who don't fight into a fighting game is an interesting task and I'd love to see your breakdown of how they did it. I'd also love to see a speculative video, similar to how you framed Mario here, a discussion of what you'd need to consider to translate a character who isn't in smash, but would have some unique traits that would make them difficult aswell. Personally I'm thinking something like Slime from Dragon Quest, Arle from Madou Monogatari and Puyo Puyo, Isaac from Golden Sun or a first person character like The Doom Slayer from Doom or Master Chief from Not Doom; characters who are popular picks (arle morseo in Japan than the west) but whom are fairly synonymous with a different camera angle (front facing for Slime, 2/3s for Isaac, first person for the shooters or rarely even on screen for Arle). I know Falcon and Ness did this too for not really on the screen, and Little Mac from his own camera angle, but I feel the others present new challenges of getting to read from the side, while maintaining the feel of the character.

[@ShinoSarna]

Important thing about fighting game animation is that animation becomes a crucial part of game design. Stuff like frame data means that changing duration of animation by a couple frames can drastically change balance in high level play.

[@coltonk.3086]

My in universe theory for Mario’s hands and feet growing when attacking is the super mushroom. It doesn’t just turn him into a giant, but allows him to change the size of any part of his being at will.

[@murfguy]

I'd say you should cover Pichu for that dig... but I'd be happy with any character honestly. Everyone's here! COVER THEM ALL! ULTIMATE ANALYSIS!

[@ManuelsLaureano]

G

[@michaelhudson3331]

The analysis is great, but can we all talk about how amazingly funny this is as well? Dan, good job man!

[@HamburgerHelpMe_]

Ridley! all of his attacks feel super savage, I don't know, his animations feel like everything he should be, mean looking, savage, but still somewhat indicates that he's an intelligent creature with a capacity for cruelty as intense as that sounds lol

[@terdragontra8900]

"dozens of beloved characters and also pichu"; i love it

[@Inspiration_Date]

7:08 - Mario's walk and run animations ARE a reference. They're from the New SMB series.

[@unit220]

I love DanMii’s simple •_• expressions lol

[@KengaruZ]

I always felt the animation and especially camera movement/animation in the subspace emissary cutscenes very interesting and somehow unique. It would be nice if you could take a look on that

[@kantackistan]

I could listen to talks about Smash animation all day. Definitely DO make more of these, for any or all characters, and I'll watch them all.

[@maxalej]

Made a video for everyone please 😅

[@dr.badguyreviews6785]

Youve opened yourself up for punishment Dan. All of them. Do all of them. Cause this is good stuff. 72 more to go.

[@lunchtreyy]

mario has a very big aerial combo game and thats where he gets most of his kills, so i think he is represented great. he also is considered the jack of all trades in his games, and this translates to smash very well.

[@moldingthegalaxy]

I'd honestly like to see analysis of every character's animations, so maybe make a separate series dedicated to it

[@timothymclean]

It seems like the Mii fighter could serve as the new baseline, vanilla fighter if Nintendo wanted to make Smash!Mario more uniquely Mario. And that would be kinda neat; giving him (and perhaps other Mario characters) a Ground Pound move would fit him well. Though it _would_ probably require not only reworking Mario but also tweaking most other characters to make sure ground-pounders have a place in the game's complicated rock/paper/scissors balance diagram...

[@flowerditch]

mario not having a ground pound always felt like a missed opportunity to me. it wouldn't really require much rebalancing considering that a ton of characters already have something like a ground pound in their moveset (toon link, zero suit samus, greninja)

[@luxnoctisgaming]

I'd like to hear your thoughts on Cloud in particular, since they were translating a character from a turn-based game who really didn't have all that much to draw from in terms of typical fighting game moves, given most of the variation in FF7 comes from materia and summons and also had to differentiate him from other sword wielding characters. Great video Dan, glad to have this kind of content make a return!

[@ridori7376]

Can we take a moment to appreciate Ridley's animation? Like he's just VICIOUS! The way he grabs oponents by their heads and then furiously slides them through the stage is just brutal. My personal favourite detail is how when he does his forward tilt (where he stabs the opponent with his tail) he actually grabs his tail and uses it as a spear just so he can do as much damage as possible. Or in his victory animation where he looks like he's eviscerating one of his preys he straight up grins to the camera. Yes, his size may not represent the original faithfully but damn did they nail his personality!

[@morbid1.]

I have very interesting topic for you: - why different fighting games have such a different animation feel even when they do same move (MK:X, SFV, T7)

[@leafMontilla]

Yes please! I'd also like it if future smash episodes focus on - not necessarily characters - but rather comparisons between characters in different games, or comparisons between styles or Echo Fighters.

[@Twisted_Logic]

I'd like to see you look at the evolution of a character's animations throughout the Smash franchise. This may or may not be because I miss Bowser's old design and animations... Also: I'd love to see you take a look at and of the Project M exclusive animations, like Koopa Claw down throw and Ganondorf's dodges. (I'll never forgive them for removing my beloved anger monorail and giving him long limbs.)

[@hoodiesticks]

I feel like the obvious choice for Smash animation analysis is Wii Fit Trainer, since the whole point of her character is her unusual movements.

[@Johngvc100]

Loved your new channel Dan, you're still inspiring me to become better at animation. But I can't seem to stop wanting to cry when I hear you, I think you know what I mean. Wish you all the best !

[@dylanu7896]

I sort of want to hear your ideas about either kerby or Ness, with Ness having little to go off of as reference and what they did to fill the expectations of what Ness would look like during his many psy moves

[@Blackthornprod]

An amazingly edited and polished video :) ! Super interesting stuff, well done :) !

[@carlosisturiz917]

I was not expecting to find my favorite coding channel in here, awesome

[@doorto6152]

I would add one more detail to the functionality musts of the Smash Bros. animation: they must match the hitboxes. I think believe that's why most of the attacks in Smash 4 have colorful flairs at the ends of the attack animations: to convey the hitbox. As for which character I'd love to see an analysis of next, that's a tricky one. Hmm, I think I got it. I would like to see the character with the most technically complex animations analyzed. That way I can get an understanding of all the work and effort, as well as the tools and techniques, like squash & stretch, used in video game animation.

[@theultimateswagon]

These videos are so great. They're in-depth, informational, and enjoyable to watch. Keep it up!

[@duplexdsi]

The production quality on this is stellar. Clearly a lot of effort went into the making of this. I just found your channel, and here I shall stay.

[@RaK0]

Your comment about Mario probably being different if he was added now is something that bothers me about many of the "Gen 1"-Fighters. It's obvious that they are well established and that Sakurai does not want to change the basic formula of the characters. But back then many concessions had to be made while executions of newer characters adhere to their respective uniqueness and gimmicks almost to a fault. Look how much care they put into all of Mega Mans moves and attacks - so much so that he even has one tilt-attack less than other fighters. Imagine how Samus could look and play if she was added as a new character today. There is absolutely no reason to why she can only fire one charged shot in Smash while you just shoot and desintegrate everything around you in her original games. Her moveset is pretty lackluster which is a shame because I love her as a character. I could go on about other characters as well but in essence I wished that Sakurai and his team would have taken the time and care to overhaul some of the old veterans in a way that they feel more up-to-date while similarly more true to their original form. But whelp... can't have everything, can you?

[@somescrub885]

I think Samus got out a lot better than most of the other Gen 1 fighters. At least she has a recognizable moveset. Compare her to Donkey Kong, who is generic as hell.

[@grimfin3214]

That's exactly how I feel. I wish every one of Kirby's attacks was one of his copy abilities instead of bland hits

[@MrMarinus18]

Even the Gen I fighters have several unique elements. Like Kirby's absorbing ability, Yoshi's lack of a recovery move which is compensated for by his high jump and knight armor, Link's shield and others.

[@Lethalityrush]

You got that right. Mario's got a *_T H I C C_* build

[@nazurin5982]

Mario has GOOD aerial attacks, and his mobility is god-like, he can jump around really fast and recover from below.

[@christianthompson2768]

I do really hope in the (very distant) future we get a Smash Bros game with a smaller, reimagined roster. Mario using Cappy in his aerials would be awesome and that's just an idea for one character's aerials!

[@Sweeps]

Pichu is beloved, I’ll have you know

[@marcossegon5433]

Agreed

[@Yal_Rathol]

i'm kinda shocked you didn't go into any characters who's translation failed, maybe a particular demon king being a ripoff of a guy who doesn't have a moveset in his original game? just a thought. and since it's topical, you should analyze sonic's smash moveset, since you have so much practice with sonic animation now. and i fully expect you to rag on it the entire time, despite being a sonic fan.

[@leaftune4427]

Haha, Ganondorf is an interesting case. Being a last second character that was going to be cut unless corners were cut instead, makes the translation understandable. (I am personally really glad he made it in.) Brawl and beyond though, his new animations pull a whole lot from his own games and nails in that Ganondorf feel, which is really impressive despite still having his Melee moveset. I really look forward to seeing his new changes for Smash Ultimate in more detail.

[@gulfgiggleanimations4472]

As someone who has played too much gannondorf on for glory, I don’t want gannondorf changed to be accurate to the games. Even if they gave his moveset to Black Shadow or something, it wouldn’t be the same. I’m surprised how many people actually expected massive changes like that for Mario and Link.

[@mpsmith9913]

You get a thumbs up for appropriate levels of Sonic (and Pichu) salt

[@thesuntitan]

One more important thing to note is that Smash usually adds its own spin to certain characters' traits, in Mario you can see it in his "upbeat determination", as you perfectly described it, becoming a bit more competitive, to better face the big fight that is the Smash series. In Melee, in particular, I think he hits the sweetspot where he looks serious but also like he's enjoying himself.

[@Pernoodi]

The animation in ultimate is so much better than the one in smash 4, I hope you can revisit this topic someday !

[@Insidious_NX]

I'd say the animations are largely the same from 4 to Ultimate. The changes that makes them smoother are the transitional frames from one action to the next. From 64 to 4 they were pretty janky.

[@kainhighwind2]

I'd LOVE to see you break down Peach! It must have taken a lot of work to make Peach into a character in a fighting game, where, up until Melee, she had *never* been playable in a game outside of the US SMB2. All Peach had was floating, and they not only had fun with feminine cliches (She can pull out and hit you with a frying pan), but also *added* to her personality with ehr cheerful, gentle demeanor, and things like her butt bounce which really shows off a fun loving, playful side to Peach. I think she's a masterful example of "Show, don't tell"

[@militarykobold]

Peach's best weapon in Super Mario RPG was the frying pan, and might be one of the only existing references to that game in Smash, save for the Geno costume.

[@actisclass]

Very nice looking back on this now that Ultimate is well out, and the amount of care in all fronts for each character, especially the animation, is just great to simply admire. Thanks for giving us all some more insight into it 👍

[@OozoTheClown]

Mario's basic standing idle animation is a naturalized version of his standing pose in Super Mario Bros: his head is turned to the side though his body faces towards the camera , with his arms at either side to show off his overalls buttons. The only thing that would make it more like his pose in SMB would be if they had his non-leading foot pointed backwards which they do employ for his "growing" taunt in the previous Smash titles. In the original Smash for 64 his body didn't face to the camera as much (because it was more based on SM64) but from Melee onward he has struck the classic SMB pose. This is a specific reference to Super Mario Bros because he doesn't use this pose really in any subsequent games. In Super Mario Bros. 2 and every subsequent game (2D or 3D) Mario's torso always faces the same direction as his head.

[@leafMontilla]

Rather than focusing on a single character, I'd like to see a COMPARISON of a fast character like Cpt. Falcon, vs a slow one like Ganondorf. I'll be happy with the comparison of any fast vs slow characters, but I'd specifically like to see a comparison of those. That way we wouldn't be comparing "apples to oranges" so much. Also, how would YOU have changed them up to be mechanically similar (same move-sets) yet visually distinct. That way we'd learn how to make a game seem more diverse and varied without sinking time and money into developing new move-sets or assets. That could also be an interesting experiment with Pit and Dark Pit, who desperately need some differentiation.

[@nicolle2126]

what did pichu ever do to you dan

[@ChimeratAlpha]

Also Sonic. Though from what I've heard of the "recent" releases in that series, it might just be a general unease.

[@nicolle2126]

Céline .S. Sauvé Dan has video evidence of how Sonic personally wronged him in his sonic playthroughs though so that checks out

[@nicolle2126]

SOnic sucks it's a reference to Dan's playthoughs of all the sonic games in chronological order ^^ The latest one was Shadow the Hedgehog lol

[@plasmicocean5278]

Definitely want to see more Smash stuff on this channel since it's one of my favourite series, and there's so much to talk about in terms of animations, but another thing that I'd really like to see now would be a video on the animations in the 3D Mario games, and how they make the movement feel so satisfying (Sunshine, Odyssey and 64 in particular).

[@WonderVis97]

His fighting stance is actually probably a reference to Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga! He did that double fist waving thing whenever it was Mario’s turn. Different vibe though; the original was very goofy looking

[@Pixelgon404]

make it a series

[@vicctretamaj]

Kirby Kirby Kirby That’s the name you should know Kirby Kirby Kirby Make him the star of the show

[@katieg1071]

I would ADORE a video like this about Skullgirls! It's one of the best animated games I've ever played!!

[@gryzimil]

I'd love for you to examine Mega Man's animations. It's amazing how they made his NES animations work in 3D! Obviously they are made to be looked at from the side, but that works for Smash too.

[@mrinfinity5557]

DID THIS BOI DISS MY MANS PICHU???

[@fast-yi9js]

I would like what you could say about Pit or Link

[@mightyjigglypuff1598]

I think you are the perfect youtuber to make these type of videos, great work!

[@fluffcake]

Mario, the main of my brother for about 6 years until he found his untapped potential with Mr. G&W

[@lrgogo1517]

To me Mario feels more serious than cute.

[@starman9976]

He lightened up a bit in Ultimate. Well, at least in his taunts

[@64SMBZ]

I'd like to see you do an analysis on Bayonetta! It'd be interesting to learn how Nintendo adapted a character from an M rated game to a T rated game while still keeping everything about her movement and personality the same.

[@omegaPSI2006]

I was JUST thinking about if you were still gonna do this animation series. And then I found you again! Subscribed!

[@hollihocks]

This is amazing. As someone that has entered training mode and watched the characters' animations at 1/4 speed just to marvel at the techniques used in them, this video is just lovely. You touch on everything that makes the characters move responsively and with personality. If I were to suggest a character, it would be Little Mac. You talk about how characters moves are sped up to be responsive and he comes to mind. His moves are lightning fast, with a jab that comes out in 1 frame even. Despite this quickness, his attacks land with satisfying, brutal impact. Would be interesting to see you talk about how it is the animators did this.

[@theepiclaserman23]

Yo Edit:Gotta go Fest Edit2: pichu did nothing wrong

[@Eddyoshi]

This video is fantastic and fascinating! As much of a workload as it would be, I think you could make this an entire series in itself of just covering every character, because yes we've had series like Know Your Moves, but thats more about the moves origins, compared to the specific style and animation as it is here.

[@IzzetGuildmage1985]

I'd like to see an episode on Kirby, specifically how they convey his light weight and how his swallow moves impact that mobility, Luigi and how they make him similar to Mario while still mixing up his skill set and make him feel unique and reference his own backlog of titles, and/or Ice Climbers and the challenge inherent in animating/controlling a character that is actually two characters at once.

[@JonathanGillPhishfood12]

This channel is incredible. I really like what you're doing here. It's very informative, interesting and you explain concepts well. I really hope it takes off and becomes something truly beautiful. I personally would like to see you cover every Smash Bros fighter but take things at your own pace. No rush. ;)

[@JustcallmeLel]

Wario is probably the nicest and easiest place to start when talking about character animations in smash Like all of his everything, very elaborate and direct So that's my vote

[@JCeetraTheGreat]

I think an episode on Shulk’s animations would be interesting. He certainly isn’t from a fighting game and his abilities are very different from the game he comes from, but he still feels like the Shulk we know and love.

[@Alex-wv7wf]

I’m happy to see a new game design channel growing. Just subscribed!

[@timmtimm9729]

dude marios entire gamplay revolves around his up AIR and his other ariels all are kill moves. combo moves. or FORDWARD AREIL