Explaining Shulk's Scary Hitboxes (Smash Ultimate)

Today we are taking a look at one of the characters I have been playing a lot of lately. That being Shulk! He has some seriously good hitboxes and in this video we'll be taking a look at just that.
Zeckemyro: / zeckemyro
My Twitter: / rekzius

[@TheLobsterCopter5000]

One thing worth noting about Shulk's dash attack is that the distance Shulk moves forward is affected by what Monado Art he's using, with Speed extending its range, and Shield reducing it.

[@takarijbartleby]

Wasn't the distance that Shulk dashed during dash attack nerfed between Smash 4 and Ult?

[@shadowknight9345]

Does it still work for the Vision counter as well? I remember that being a thing in the last game.

[@takarijbartleby]

@shadowknight9345 I'm not too sure personally, I know your deactivation of Arts can affect Vision. Activating Vision just as an Art deactivates causes him to plummet

[@nicholasm9470]

@@takarijbartlebyit was a fixed distance regardless of art in s4, but it had more endlag

[@cullenhutchison6528]

I am simultaneously disappointed and glad that the same is not true for Hero's dash attack while Acceleratle is active.

[@Luigiofthegods]

Press F for Smash 4 Shulk's gravedigger back air 😔 (alternatively, Wii Sports Resort canoeing back air)

[@keldeo05]

It's really weird how shulk got so much better in this game even though quite a few of his moves got nerfed

[@UltimateInkling]

​@@keldeo05the biggest nerf is his face, he looked so much better in smash 4😭

[@mac_chappy]

I miss the unblock-able counter.

[@-AirKat-]

@@mac_chappyor the movement tech it had

[@11Natrium]

I really like how certain visualisations of Shulk's hitboxes have two Monados - which I get is just a limitation of the visualiser and how models work in this game, but, still, fun sight!

[@Magic_Ice]

Bro thinks he is….yk

[@brycenumbergenerator7673]

​​@@Magic_IceToday we fell a- I can't finish it because of spoilers D:

[@kurokofs113]

​and then seize- still cant finish

[@keldeo05]

Shulk's down b holding in has my favorite animation in the whole game, I love it so much

[@lunarkomet]

Finally someone else gets it

[@UltimateInkling]

Fr its so sick!

[@rayminishi689]

I like how Shulk is the only swordie has to continue to reach for his sword, use it, then put it back When in Xenoblade thats just knowing when youre in combat or exploring

[@MaxWelton]

4:04 “thanks to Rekzius, I came to possess a second weapon with the power of creation.”

[@thiccum2668]

Lmao

[@lunarkomet]

I love how after all this time you're still adamant on showing gameplay of the fighter being busy doing stuff unrelated to the move you're talking about or even just getting bodied by the opponent

[@MrBendy420]

13:07 that sure is the shape of a hitbox

[@GrandmasterKiran]

A VISON! I SEE IT!

[@angeldude101]

Why are so many of Shulk's moves _weaker_ at the tipper? The Monado is literally a lightsaber. the physical blade I pretty sure is _blunt._ The real damage comes from the massive laser emitted from the end, which would be the tipper. Why would a blunt sword-shaped object hurt more than a lightsaber blade? (I forget about Pyra and Mythra's tippers, if they have any, but this reasoning also applies to Pyra's sword, though in her case it's more of a vaguely-sword-shaped flamethrower. Mythra's sword at least has a noticeable edge to the physical blade, but it doesn't matter as much since her light covers the outside of the sword in addition to the usual beam.)

[@velvetbutterfly]

It may be a nod to how the Monado in it's base form can't cut people? Or just balancing reasons because the blade is pretty long

[@temera7712]

Monado can't cut people. Even if it can Shulk never did. I mean In entire game no human was damaged by Monado. It not like we saw him cutting people in two like a Lightsaber or something.

[@opbattleaxe8744]

I’d assume the heat of the “lightsaber” is at its hottest when fresh outta the machine and the tip is “slightly” cooler because the beam has to travel.

[@takarijbartleby]

I don't know if you remember but in Smash 4, Shulk could wavebounce his Art activations from cycling. If he kept that into Ult then it would make Cycling have some use over Dialling.

[@Magic_Ice]

Spoilers for Xenoblade 1 . . . . . . You are lucky (7) that Shulk doesn’t have the Monado 2. That thing could hit you from the other side of the screen. Forward air would be even more invalidating then it already is.

[@Taktaagic]

Now you're making me wish that Shulk had the Monado 2 cuz I love big ranged attacks LMAO

[@Tonjit41]

The two hit up air, down air, and up smash are a nod to it i imagine.

[@thiccum2668]

Buster art should’ve quadrupled his range like in xenoblade Also if they’re gonna do spoilers in his final smash like they did in Ultimate, make the final smash Monado II pleaase 😭

[@Magic_Ice]

@@thiccum2668 why do a final smash for the 2 when the 3 is right there

[@thiccum2668]

@@Magic_Ice truuuuue

[@roryhadley3811]

shulks sweet spots feel weird to me. the particle effects make them seem like the tippers should be stronger since they look similar to Marths

[@ShOwOba]

6:45 Gotta love the surprise comeback

[@AntitoxinZero]

we tech those

[@BaselardFE]

Oh hey I'm in this video! I was wondering why you were playing Shulk and now it makes sense lol. I will always miss Smash 4 Back Air and Jab 😭 Also just to be annoying Shulk gets 14 s from Neutral B not 11

[@may20th2000]

Yay another hitbox video :)) i know that anyone has access to hitboxs but i prefer to hear them from you ;)

[@Tonjit41]

Yeah. There's some things he says that I don't think I would've learned anywhere else.

[@blutarchtheblue8453]

3:29 It was disgusting what you did to that poor Little Mac

[@Tonjit41]

He deserves it.

[@badwithusernames3238]

Since you did the final smash hitboxes a while ago, would it be possible to visualize the moves of any of the world of light/classic mode bosses? I kinda want to see what I’ve been dodging in my 3 world of light playthroughs and beating every classic mode. They also could have some funky mechanics to cover

[@Tonjit41]

That would be great. It seems people have either played WOL never or 2+ times lol

[@MattDustyParker]

Good video as always. Shulk is definitely interesting to try out but I can't make him look as good as others can.

[@Elegies22]

I must say, as a day 1 shulk main since smash 4, there's a lot of wrong information in this video. A couple worth noting is how you mention there arent any true combos out of grabs. There are tons, but with the right arts mind you. You also mention how dash attack is a good combo starter since it launches opponents upwards. This is false because of the long lag shulk stays in once the move is thrown out. Its usually best as a combo finisher.

[@jethiliusavalar6449]

I feel like I'm the 1% that's too scared to use the monado arts. The only times I do is when I try to use airslash and somehow I apparently held the button for a millionth of a second too long and brought out the selection wheel

[@diitrii]

If you’re afraid of using Monado Arts, you miss the entire point of the character

[@manatee8702]

I wish they gave him something like Monado Cyclone for his down B

[@Kingambit7]

Yeah, it could have a similar hotbox to Cloud's finishing touch, just not behave the same way. Maybe be frame 5, and activate all around, then have 20 frame endlag, but have great kill power. Hits for 20% sweet, 15% sour, kills at 85% with DI at ledge, no DI around 70%.

[@Baltaczar]

I was expecting this to be called "Shulk's shitty hitboxes", and as a Shulk main I can confirm this is the case most of the time

[@davidmason422]

shulk main from pretty much the beggining of smash 4, but for some reason, even with all the buffs, couldnt get behind him in ultimate, maybe cause they got rid of my darling sabdjcus R.I.P

[@-AirKat-]

Ah, so I’m not the only one

[@Red_PlaysYT]

Another nerf would be his aerials don’t interpolate and instead follow the sword. Last game it would have trailing hit boxes to improve hit consistency. Mainly forward and and neutral air. But the landing lag changes of ultimate makes him feel better to pilot

[@heclfrecl3633]

I beat XCDE last week and have been so excited to see this video.

[@thehypist2587]

It took you a while, but you finally did a video on my main. Well done! Also glad to see you’re playing him too, Shulk is a very fun character, and I’m glad he’s getting more love with the Xenoblade franchise growing bigger. Again, excellent work on covering his hitboxes.

[@Shuda746]

Although down smash isn’t a necessarily great move with buster on it makes a devastating shield breaking move

[@Nobody45602]

I can’t wait for zss ive been obsessed with that character since mars started playing him😮

[@ElTaitronAnim]

I was so excited to see Shulk in Smash, and I really wanted to main him, but dealing with Monado Arts has always been intimidating. His hitboxes being unnecessarily janky does hurt the appeal a bit, too, especially F-tilt (why???).

[@velvetbutterfly]

I would have liked to see the second worse jab for comparison

[@brianhull2407]

I know that you don’t use nominations/voting in the comments anymore, and haven’t for a long time, but I just wanted to say that I’d really like to see Mario/Dr. Mario/Luigi, Link/Young Link/Toon Link, Roy/Chrom(/Ike?), Pokémon Trainer, and Rosalina & Luma. I’m curious as to how the different Mario Bros. and Links are similar and different (along with the remaining Fire Emblem swordsmen), Pokémon Trainer is a three-in-one, and I’m curious about the differences between Rosalina’s hitboxes and Luma’s.

[@jasomega2446]

1:40 😮

[@iishiir]

0:28 i once used his jab to kill in sudden death

[@velvetbutterfly]

I'm not a Shulk main by any means, but I've never seen his Vision counter miss nearly that much. Maybe once or twice since Ultimate came out

[@benross9174]

Dude that shit always misses, especially in the air. On the ground its OK.

[@velvetbutterfly]

@@benross9174 why use Vision in the air anyway with all of Shulk's aerial options?

[@benross9174]

@@velvetbutterflycause its faster than all his other aerials. His aerials are amazing but they can’t be used reactively, Vision can. Nair is frame 13 and starts behind him, and fair is 14 and starts above him. So Counter (even though it sucks) is his only «get off me» tool. He doesnt have a Seph/Byleth nair to use

[@oneshott.v.gaming2081]

Also something about down smash if you catch the opponent shielding, you can charge it with buster to break their shield.

[@narpynk]

real

[@sabbatage1870]

For some reason, I always thought that when a animation goes too far into the z-axis, the hitboxes themselves stay in the normal z-axis

[@brianhull2407]

That only applies in “2D” stages, like Flat Zone (including 2 and X), Duck Hunt, Hanenbow, and Dream Land. (I think those are all flat, and it’s possible that Mario Bros. and Balloon Fight are as well.) In those stages, and only those stages, all character and item models are flattened. The result is that there is no Z-axis in those stages at all (outside of certain Assist Trophies, Pokémon, and Final Smashes that enter the background or foreground layers), and so all hitboxes and hurtboxes that would be in the Z-axis are moved to the XY-plane.

[@imjustalittleqwerty]

Why not name it “Shulk’s Shocking Hitboxes?” Seems rather obvious.

[@bonniesbitchin]

Donkey kong has alot of hitboc interpolation issues in this game similar to the example before 2:43 mostly on his strongs. Makes me sad as a monkey enjoyer. I feel like i should come back and cover my ass and say that this was exceptionally early on in the games life so it may be different now or i could just be a dumbass im not opposed to the idea that im wrong but i dont wanna give the impression i actively play mostly lol

[@MinMin4theWinWin]

Wiifits hitboxes are going to be the death of you lol

[@allen2reckless676]

I learn so much from these

[@dagoodboy6424]

Shulk has always been weird and interesting esp his wacky face.

[@AlphaladZXA]

Can you do a corrin video next, I feel like that one could have a little Mac esque rant to it depending on if you played them in 4. Heck they still feel stuck in smash 4 when shulk here feels like they actually belong in this game

[@AssassinKillswitch]

Game and watch is the one that really needs a hitbox explanation

[@cesarmarroquin9930]

When are you going to finish Hero hit box spells? 👀

[@nahhhidwin]

Have you ever been told how similar your voice is to PJiggles?

[@Traumachu]

6:27 HE DIED AT 14 FUCKING PERCENT thats fucked up

[@alexlugo7479]

Hitbox don't matter if the other character have better frame data tho

[@elijmin2]

awesome video

[@dogyX3]

9:58 I was able to shield oomph hatchet man because of the 2x stronger shield. Insane move

[@evotheevolutions]

0:17 bro i main incineroar and my coach made me play a different character that could actually do something against ness

[@dylanmahon2394]

Yo hold the phone! We got a hotbox video!!🎉🎉

[@poke4074]

Inkling hitboxes next?

[@MinMin4theWinWin]

Me being one of the few people waiting for Isabelle and villagers hit boxes lol

[@lordtheodore13]

I miss Smash 4 jab. :/

[@ExplodingSteve]

ay yo that up air 🤨

[@Cryptic0213]

13:05 I cant be the only one seeing this right?

[@combokings8346]

Nice

[@jamesmichael794]

Can you please do sonics hit boxes next 🙏

[@galletitas1027]

Can we get a real mac hitbox video

[@Conrad_the_renegade]

I’ve been maining Shulk for some time now and I really love his character but he’s got 2 main flaws imo: losing the b-air early hit box from smash 4 kinda sucks, and the somewhat slow frame data. If he had 1-2 less frames on his ground moves, he might be top 5 in the game

[@rangermansgaming7717]

Do more top 10, ect

[@nail_HK]

lol you actually played against real people this time

[@evidence2839]

spooky scary... hitboxes... doesn't really fit, nvm

[@greensemicircle]

fraudulent

[@andromeda8580]

8:35? Speed?

[@velvetbutterfly]

What is the point of this comment? What is there to question?

[@lunarkomet]

​@@velvetbutterflyMarth(?) in the speed kanji

[@splish_2]

shulk is cool, but one of the most overrated characters in the game. Like I still cant see how shulk was top 10 and still is for some people, monado and a couple big aerials dont really do it for me. Still really good, but idk I dont see top tier at all

[@pistarrafernandez9830]

he is fairly rated , Nair and fair alone invalidates like 60% of the cast or maybe more , he almost got no losing matchups , top tier Edgeguarding and neutral.. sounds like top tier material for me

[@Mini_Pixels]

First? 🦦

[@Zenabean69]

imagine liking shulk

[@Inksploded]

Why does he get to deal 1.3 damage but only take 1.25 himself like he can choose when to use it why does he need even more advantage then that

[@Elegies22]

This is a bad take

[@user-be3qc7re9o]

The very fact that he takes higher damage at all is a double-edged sword, considering he already has the slowest overall framedata in the game. Shulk has yet to win a Major for a reason.