Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Guide Inkling

Overview

The squid kids swim into the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate scene, outfitted with unique mechanics and weapons interesting both for party play and one-on-one matches. Inklings have access to many of their ink-filled soaker weapons from the Splatoon shooter series.

These tools require ink, shown as a gauge by Inkling’s portrait. Many attacks deplete ink with use, but ink can be quickly refilled anytime by holding down the Shield+Special buttons together. Inkling sinks low into a puddle and greedily sops up enough ink for more full-powered moves. Not only that, but ink-soaked moves get ink on foes too, which reduces their defense!

The most important ink-based moves include side smash, front throw, Splat Roller, and Splat Bomb.

This doesn’t mean Inkling is helpless without ink moves—far from it. Neutral attack, down tilt, dash attack, and neutral air attack are all quick and reliable, and smash attacks fulfill their purpose even if they’re weaker without ink. Most importantly, Super Jump (up special) works with or without ink, making it hard to KO Inkling without a launch clear to a blast zone.

Mobility-wise, Inklings have fast and unique dashing and running posture, swimming along the surface of the ground thanks to their ink slicks. They can wall-jump, and using Splat Roller in midair and bouncing off a wall works as well. Super Jump ascends quite high, and using Splat Roller in midair, then jump-canceling it before landing still allows a double jump, so it’s basically a triple jump.

Inkling Vitals

Movement Options

Midair jumps:	1
Crouch walk:	Yes
Tether:	No
Wall jump:	Yes
Wall cling:	No

Movement Ranks

Ground speed:	C (23)
Air speed:	B+ (12-16)
Falling speed:	C (40-43)
Weight:	C (40-43)

Squid Kid Ink

Some attacks apply certain amounts of ink to targets, while depleting Inkling’s ink reserve. The tables show how much ink each attack requires, and how much ink each applies to attack recipients.

The Ink Gauge is visible by Inkling’s portrait. The gauge has 150 units (graphically represented by the gauge). While Inkling’s gauge goes to 150, the (hidden) gauge tracking how much ink is weighing down an Inkling enemy goes to 300. The gauge amounts aren’t related; an attack might spend 30 Inkling ink while applying 150 ink to the target.

An Inkling’s ink is opportunity. You can use ink-powered moves until you’re running low, and then you have to find time to refill, or else a bunch of attacks are just useless or weakened.

An enemy’s ink is a debuff that increases how much damage they take! The ink amount indicates both how long the debuff lasts, and how much of a damage multiplier attacks inflict on the inked fighter.

The damage-multiplier aspect increases little by little up to 180 enemy ink. It’s a x1.2 multiplier at 75 enemy ink, x1.25 at 100 enemy ink, and x1.5 at 180+ enemy ink. Beyond 180 enemy ink, you’re just adding duration.

A debuff of 180 enemy ink takes 12 seconds to fully wear off. Inking foes to the max of 300 adds another eight seconds, for a 20-second-maximum ink duration (assuming no further ink applications). They can wash it off faster if there are any water features on a stage to splash through, or water attacks to get rinsed off by.

Now’s as good a place as any to mention Inkling hates water, and takes minor damage just from getting soaked!