For fighter info, see Ness (SSB), Ness (SSBM), Ness (SSBB), Ness (SSB4), and Ness (SSBU).

Ness
Official paper clay model of Ness from Mother 2.
Universe	EarthBound
Debut	EarthBound (1994)
Smash Bros. appearances	SSB Melee Brawl SSB4 Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance	Mother 3 (2006, cameo)
Console/platform of origin	Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Place of origin	Onett, Eagleland
Created by	Shigesato Itoi
Voice actor	Makiko Ōmoto
Article on WikiBound	Ness

Ness (ネス, Ness) is the main character of the cult classic SNES RPG EarthBound, the most successful game in the Mother/EarthBound franchise. As a member of the "perfect-attendance crew", Ness has been featured as a playable character throughout every game in the Super Smash Bros. series. He appears as the sole fighter from his original game and series in Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee, and is joined by Mother 3 protagonist Lucas in all games starting with Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In all five games, Makiko Ōmoto voices Ness in English with an American accent.

Origin

In EarthBound, Ness is a courageous, kind, and helpful boy from the fictional town of Onett, located in north-western Eagleland. His favorite food is steak and his signature PSI move, named for his favorite thing, is PSI Rockin. He possesses strong psychic powers, and in the year 199X, utilizes his abilities to defeat an alien invasion by the forces of Giygas, the villain of EarthBound Beginnings. Ness is the successor to Ninten, the hero of EarthBound Beginnings, sharing a very similar design and some abilities; however, the two are distinct characters.

On a night in the year 199X, Ness gets woken up by a meteorite crash. He investigates the crash site, where he meets his neighbor Porky Minch and an alien named Buzz Buzz. Buzz Buzz tells him that he is the boy who will save the world, and sends him on a mission to collect the Eight Melodies that tie together the Earth's power. He is joined in this quest by Paula, Jeff, and Poo. By recording and collecting the Eight Melodies with his Sound Stone, Ness gains access to the realm of Magicant in his mind and unlocks the power needed to defeat Giygas.

Although capable of wielding several types of weapons, such as slingshots and yo-yos, Ness's signature weapon is a baseball bat. Ness's PSI powers include PK Flash, PSI Rockin, Lifeup, and a variety of status moves. Several PSI techniques used by Paula and Poo (PK Fire, PK Thunder, PSI Magnet, and PK Starstorm) would be borrowed by Ness for combat in the series.

Five years after the release of EarthBound, Ness would make an unexpected appearance in Super Smash Bros. and continue to be playable in the series, carrying his legacy. Ness's appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series have considerably boosted his public image. His appearance in the very first Super Smash Bros. took fans by surprise, but his inclusion was massively applauded; thus, he's been in every Smash installment since. Through the Super Smash Bros. series, Ness became more or less a mainstream character in gaming culture rather than remaining a curious cult character of Nintendo's '90s days who would be known only to the highly devoted Nintendo fandom.

In Super Smash Bros.

As a playable character

Ness was a bit of surprise addition to the roster for the original Super Smash Bros. Many players had never expected such an obscure character to turn up in the game, which seems to be reflected in-game; he is a secret character, unlocked by completing the 1P Game on a difficulty of Normal or higher, using three lives or less and no continues.

Strangely, none of Ness's special moves are his own; his special attacks, the PSI Magnet, PK Fire, and PK Thunder, (down special, neutral special, and up special, respectively), were originally used by one of his party allies, Paula in EarthBound. A possible explanation for this discrepancy is offered in the sequel to this game, Super Smash Bros. Melee, which states that Paula may have taught him these techniques. Additionally, because Ness, in his origin game, was mostly the Healer and Defense member of the group (his moves being Healing, Shield, Paralysis, etc.), directly translating his abilities from EarthBound would leave him with few offensive attacks.

Ness is ranked 10th out of 12 on the current tier list.

In-game description:

Ness was a seemingly-average kid from Onett, but in truth, he was destined for much more. When a strange meteorite landed near his hometown, the little boy with psychic powers set out to save the world. Little has been said of Ness' character, and much remains hidden.

Works:

• EarthBound (SNES)

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

As a playable character

Ness returns in Super Smash Bros. Melee, though this time as a default character. He keeps all of his special moves and, as all other veterans, gains a fourth one: PK Flash, which is assigned as his neutral special move. PK Flash is Ness's first "true" special attack, as his other special moves were not used by him in EarthBound. PK Fire was also changed to Ness's side special.

During the pre-production stages of Melee, Sakurai intended to remove Ness from the roster and replace him with Lucas, as Mother 3 was then-in development for Nintendo 64. However, the N64 incarnation's troubled development and eventual cancellation in 2000 resulted in Ness remaining in the game.^[1][2]

Ness was mostly nerfed from Smash 64 to Melee, similar to Kirby, Pikachu, and arguably Yoshi. One major reason is his very weak grab range. Though his nerfs were not as drastic as Kirby's, his tournament representation is weak and his viability is still poor. He is ranked 23rd out of 26 on the tier list in D tier, somewhat lower than his placement in the original Super Smash Bros.

Trophies

As a playable character, Ness has three trophies - a normal trophy won beating the Classic Mode with Ness on any difficulty, and "Smash Red" and "Smash Blue" trophies are acquired by beating the Adventure and All-Star modes, respectively.

Ness

Ness is a young boy who's mastered the psychic power known as PSI. Ness was living a normal life in the suburbs of Onett until a meteor crashed into a nearby mountain and sent him on a wild adventure. Believing in the ultimate powers of wisdom, courage, and friendship, Ness proves that some heroes come in small packages.

EarthBound (6/95)

EarthBound (Not Released in Europe)

Ness SMASH

The key to mastering Ness is controlling his unique midair jump, which makes up for what he lacks in speed. His PK Flash attack may seem weak at first glance, but it grows more powerful the longer you hold down the B Button. To do a lot of damage with PK Fire, try to burn your opponent as many times as possible.

B: PK Flash

Smash B: PK Fire

Ness SMASH

Ness's mind is his best weapon. PK Thunder is a PSI missile weapon that can be guided using the Control Stick, and if Ness hits himself with it, he turns into a living missile capable of doing massive damage. This move can also be used for recovery. PSI Magnet turns energy missile attacks into health; try out certain Pokémon for stamina replenishment.

Up & B: PK Thunder

Down & B: PSI Magnet

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

As a playable character

On January 20, 2008, Edible, a GameFAQs member, made a topic in the site's Brawl message board about an official trailer on the Japanese Wii website that leaked Ness (as well as Lucario and Jigglypuff) being playable characters in the game. In this screenshot taken of the video, a Ness icon can clearly be seen in the lower right hand corner when the Claus sticker is selected, confirming Ness's return as a playable character. The video in question can be viewed here.

Ness is once again an unlockable fighter in Brawl, and was officially profiled on February 1st, 2008, the day after Brawl's release in Japan. Just as in Melee, Ness was again considered to be replaced entirely by Lucas during the game's early stages. After discovering that Mother 3 would not be released outside Japan, Sakurai decided to feature both Ness and Lucas together.^[3]

Ness is ranked 26th on the tier list in D tier, being buffed from Melee, with a general increase in the power and speed of his attacks and a vastly superior grab. However, he gained a major flaw in the additional 10 frames of lag he gets when grab released, making him very vulnerable to grab release combos, most infamously the zero-to-death grab releases from Marth and Donkey Kong.

Trophy

Ness

An average boy whose life changed when he found a meteor and an alien on a nearby mountain. The alien warned him of a future threat, and adventure ensued. He can use psychic energy known as PSI and also wields a bat and yo-yo. This brave youth gives his all to defeat the evil Giygas.

: EarthBound

: Super Smash Bros.

: EarthBound (Japan and US Only)

: Super Smash Bros.

Sticker

Name	Game	Effect	Fighter(s)
Ness	EarthBound	Attack +33	Ness Lucas

Ness (EarthBound)

In Super Smash Bros. 4

As a playable character

Ness was leaked as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4 via the ESRB leak, and was later officially confirmed following the game's release date. He remains an unlockable character in the 3DS game, but is part of the starting roster on Wii U, making it the first game since Super Smash Bros. Melee where Ness appears as a starter character. He also sports an updated appearance and all-new voice clips.

Ness ranks 28th out of 54 on the tier list (being tied with Lucas). He has been heavily buffed from his Brawl incarnation, with not only his extra grab release frames removed, but also the general changes brought about by SSB4, such as the removal of hitstun cancelling and edge-hogging, proving beneficial to him as well, as now he possesses an efficient and strong aerial combo game, and he can more easily recover with PK Thunder, since he can grab hold of an edge regardless of whether or not an opponent is hanging from it. Slamming into a wall during PK Thunder 2 no longer leaves Ness immediately helpless, as he is now capable of initiating PK Thunder a second time, and PK Thunder's projectile now goes through opponents until its "tail" leaves Ness' body, improving his overall recovery further. Yet, his reliance on using PK Thunder to recover is still susceptible to being intercepted and foiled, especially by newcomers Rosalina and Villager. Nonetheless, as a result of his vast improvement from the three previous games, Ness has gained decent results in tournaments.

Trophies

Ness

Hailing from Onett, a small town in Eagleland, this young boy's ordinary looks hide his psychic powers. Ness fought against the evil Giygas in EarthBound, and in Smash Bros. he unleashes some of the same PSI moves. Watch out for PK Thunder, a guided attack that can also launch Ness like a rocket!

Hailing from Onett, a small town in Eagleland, this young boy sports ordinary looks that hide his psychic powers. Ness fought against the evil Giygas in EarthBound, and in Smash Bros. he unleashes some of the same PSI moves. Watch out for PK Thunder, a guided attack that can also launch Ness like a rocket!

: EarthBound (06/1995)

From Onett in Eagleland comes this young lad. He may not look like much, but he has powerful psychic abilities, and they really come in handy in EarthBound. They come in handy in this game, too. Did you know you can control his PK Thunder bolt? Aim it at Ness himself to send him flying, absolutely clobbering anyone in his path!

: EarthBound (1994 (JP))

: Mother 1+2 (2003 (JP))

Ness (Alt.)

Ness may have psychic powers, but that doesn't mean he shies away from getting physical. His side smash packs a real punch if you hit enemies with the end of his bat, and it can even deflect projectiles! His up and down smashes also have a lot of range—Ness can land his strikes with ease!

Ness may have psychic powers, but that doesn't mean he shies away from getting physical. His side smash packs a real punch if you hit enemies with the end of his bat, and it can even deflect projectiles! His up and down smashes also have a lot of range—try giving them a spin!

: EarthBound (06/1995)

Ness may have psychic powers, but that doesn't mean he shies away from getting physical. His side smash packs a real punch if you hit enemies with the end of his bat, and it can even reflect projectiles! His up and down smashes also have a lot of range, meaning when you play as Ness, it's always easy to land hits on your foes!

: EarthBound (1994 (JP))

: Mother 1+2 (2003 (JP))

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

As a playable character

Ness returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, yet again reverted to an unlockable character. Many of his attacks now feature effects that are more reminiscent of the EarthBound games, such as PK Fire having diamond-shaped PSI effects. Paula and Poo now accompany him for his Final Smash. As both the first character faced in timed encounters and the first character in Kirby's unlock tree, he can potentially be the first character to be unlocked.

Ness was greatly buffed in his transition to Ultimate, with his speed and power increased. The return of directional air dodges provides Ness with a reliable mixup in place of PK Thunder for a safer recovery. Not only do his up and down yo-yo smash attacks function the way they did prior to SSB4, but they now also hang off ledges, providing him with a new powerful edge-guarding technique. His special moves have also been improved, with PK Flash no longer making him helpless, PK Fire having less endlag, PK Thunder dealing more damage and knockback, and PSI Magnet receiving a damaging hitbox.

Competitively, Ness was a relatively popular character for many years, spearheaded by players such as Gackt, Scend, and Syrup. However, his reputation remained contentious depending on the region, and as such, he is ranked 49th out of 82 characters on the current tier list.

Spirit

• 

  563. Ness

Names in other languages

Language	Name
Japanese	ネス, Ness
English	Ness
French	Ness
German	Ness
Italian	Ness
Chinese	奈斯, Ness 内斯
Portuguese	Ness
Korean	네스, Ness
Dutch	Ness
Russian	Несс

Trivia

• Starting in Melee, the texture on Ness' yo-yo says each game's respective release year, with Melee's saying "HALLAB NINTENDO 2001 DOLPHIN LOOP". From Brawl onward, this was changed to "SUPER NINTENDO (year) MOTHER", with the year updated as follows; 2008 for Brawl, 2014 for SSB4 and 2018 for Ultimate.
• In the Mother series, Japanese text and the localization of EarthBound Beginnings utilize the "PK" ("Psychokinesis") prefix for all offensive PSI techniques, while "PSI" is used for healing and restorative moves, such as PSI Magnet. The localization of EarthBound used "PSI" for all moves regardless of type. Ness's move names in Smash retain consistency with their original naming scheme, rather than the outlier localized text of EarthBound.
• While Ness' game (EarthBound) was released in North America and takes place in a stand-in for America, he is voiced in Smash Bros. globally in English by a Japanese actor, whereas the Japan-exclusive Lucas is voiced by an American one.
• Ness's "OK!" taunt is based on a voice line in EarthBound, prompted once the player confirms a name given to something when creating a new save file, saying OKですか (Is it OK?). The line was provided by Shigesato Itoi during the game's development, after his voice was being unknowingly recorded. It also appears in Mother 3 with the exact same purpose.
• Ness and Jigglypuff are known to have been nearly-cut from both Melee and Brawl, the sole members of the original 12 with this distinction. In both instances, Ness was saved during planning by the circumstances of Mother 3's release, and would otherwise have been wholly replaced by Lucas.^[3]
• Ness and Captain Falcon were the first characters to debut as unlockable characters before becoming starters in the next game.
• Whenever Ness is an unlockable character, he is always the first one to be unlocked from playing Vs. Mode (excluding Smash 64, which does not feature this method of unlocking characters).
• If the lineup at the beginning of Brawl isn’t counted, Ness is the only Smash 64 unlockable fighter to appear in all the opening movies.
• Ness, Lucas, Min Min, and Kazuya are the only characters to have a reflector outside of special moves. Coincidentally, all of them, except for Kazuya's, are a smash attack.

References

Playable characters
Super Smash Bros.	Captain Falcon · Donkey Kong · Fox · Jigglypuff · Kirby · Link · Luigi · Mario · Ness · Pikachu · Samus · Yoshi
New in Melee	Bowser · Dr. Mario · Falco · Ganondorf · Ice Climbers · Marth · Mewtwo · Mr. Game & Watch · Peach · Pichu · Roy · Sheik · Young Link · Zelda
New in Brawl	Diddy Kong · Ike · King Dedede · Lucario · Lucas · Meta Knight · Olimar (Pikmin) · Pit · Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle · Ivysaur · Charizard) · R.O.B. · Snake · Sonic · Toon Link · Wario · Wolf · Zero Suit Samus
New in Smash 4	(Alph) · Bayonetta · Bowser Jr. (Koopalings) · Cloud · Corrin · Dark Pit · Duck Hunt · Greninja · Little Mac · Lucina · Mega Man · Mii Brawler · Mii Gunner · Mii Swordfighter · Pac-Man · Palutena · Robin · Rosalina & Luma · Ryu · Shulk · Villager · Wii Fit Trainer
New in Ultimate	Banjo & Kazooie · Byleth · Chrom · Daisy · Dark Samus · Hero · Incineroar · Inkling · Isabelle · Joker · Kazuya · Ken · King K. Rool · Min Min · Mythra · Piranha Plant · Pyra · Richter · Ridley · Sephiroth · Simon · Sora · Steve (Alex, Zombie, Enderman) · Terry

EarthBound (Mother) universe
Fighters	Ness (SSB · SSBM · SSBB · SSB4 · SSBU) · Lucas (SSBB · SSB4 · SSBU)
Assist Trophies	Jeff · Starman
Boss	Porky
Stages	Onett · Fourside · New Pork City · Magicant
Items	Mr. Saturn · Franklin Badge · Ramblin' Evil Mushroom
Enemies	Devil Car · Starman
Other	Boney · Flying Man · Kumatora · Paula · Poo · Porky Statue · Rope Snake · Ultimate Chimera
Trophies, Stickers and Spirits	Trophies (SSBM · SSBB · SSB4) · Stickers · Spirits
Music	Brawl · SSB4 · Ultimate
Masterpiece	EarthBound
Related content	Home-Run Bat · MEGALOVANIA

Retrieved from "https://www.ssbwiki.com/index.php?title=Ness&oldid=2065099"

Categories:

• Characters
• EarthBound universe
• Ness
• Trophies (SSBM)
• Trophies (SSBB)
• Trophies (SSB4-3DS)
• Trophies (SSB4-Wii U)
• Stickers
• Spirits