'Smash Ultimate' Tier List: Inkling Is the "Best Character," ZeRo Reveals

We’re still in the early days of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but that hasn’t stopped the world’s top players from weighing in with early tier lists ranking the best characters for high-level play. Now, according to the Smash Bros. Wii U world champion, the best character in Ultimate is already clear.

Gonzalo “ZeRo” Barrios uploaded a video to YouTube on December 20 titled “How to Play the Best Character in Smash Ultimate.” The subject of that video? Inkling. As ZeRo puts it, the Splatoon-based fighter is the “most important character in the meta right now,” meaning that when it comes to the constantly evolving world of high-level play, Inkling is the one to beat.

What makes Inkling so special? It’s mostly the ink mechanic, which ZeRo calls “absolutely nutty” due to its ability to rack up damage. Basically, getting ink on your opponent (which happens with a variety of attacks), will increase the damage you deal them by an extra 50 percent. So as long as you remember to keep charging ink, you’ll be at a huge advantage against any opponent.

On top of that, Inkling also boasts some powerful throw combos, meaning with a little practice you can trap your enemy in a series of moves that they won’t be able to escape. There’s also that B-Down attack, which lobs a powerful ink bomb at your enemies. It’s a strong move, though it does use up a lot ink.

If you’re not into Inkling, ZeRo also offered up another list of opt characters for both beginners and pro player in an earlier video. If you’re just getting started, here’s who you should use:

• Mario: Simple but solid, good for close-up righting with decent projectiles, and introduces you to other mechanics like deflecting projectiles
• Kirby: Very versatile, good for combos, and B-Down makes it easy to make it back to the ground if you’re tired of getting juggled
• Ganondorf: Powerful, heavy, but easy enough for beginners
• Cloud: The best sword fighter for starters
• Samus: Very balanced with solid projectors, decent close-range combat, and good recovery

• Meanwhile, if you’re planning to get into the competitive Smash Bros. Ultimate scene you may want to consider these early contenders (along with Inkling, of course):* Pikachu
• Olimar
• Meta Knight
• Peach/Daisy
• Roy/Chrom
• Mewtwo

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now for Nintendo Switch.

Related video: Get nostalgic with the original Super Smash Bros. commercial.