The wielder of the Keyblade is finally in Smash Ultimate. It still feels like a dream that Sora made it in; it’s too good to be true. Of course, players are going to swarm in droves to play as him. Worry not, we’ll have you covered so you can up your game with him.
Sora’s moveset in Smash Ultimate
Right off the bat, yes, Sora is a swordie. He is mostly straightforward and should be familiar to people who play these types of characters.
His neutral and side tilt attacks are solid 3-hit combos that can be stopped and delayed between hits. His side smash attack is pretty conventional. However, his up and down smashes are unique and do require some good spacing and opportunity.
The down smash has some range and can hit behind him, which is a plus. It also sends opponents flying horizontally rather than vertically or diagonally upward, making it tough for opponents with bad recovery to make it back to the stage. His up smash will only really be useful if his opponent is above him or literally touching his sides. It has decent strength, but mostly an upward hitbox.
As for his aerials, Sora really starts to shine here. His up air allows for some good juggling opportunities, giving him free damage if they can’t directly counter that. His back air is serviceable, though it does have a bit of a startup to it. The forward and neutral aerials are his bread and butter. If he lands either one, it’s a decent 13 to 18& damage dealt. These are both 3-hit midair combos. These could be used as edge guarding tactics when he gets his foes off stage.
Sora’s down air might be a really unsafe option. It’s essentially a ground pound. It’s good for landing quickly down, but your opponent can capitalize on the recovery frames after landing. You’re also locked in after performing the move. It covers a lot of ground, so it’s something you have to fully commit to.
Finally, his tilt game allows him to go in for some combos. His down tilt can be immediately followed up with his three-hit combos or even to his up tilt, which by the way, acts as a really good multi-hitting move.
His grabs are mostly okay. Sora does not have any kill throws. What he does have is a decent range for grabbing. At low percentages, his down throw can be followed up with his up special or neutral attack into a 4 hit combo.
Sora’s special moves in Smash Ultimate
His neutral B is definitely a grounds for possible spamming, but there will require some coordination. Sora’s neutral B is Magic. He casts Firaga, Thundaga, and Blizzaga in that order. Firaga is a single-shot projectile that staggers enemies on hit; it can also be repeatedly shot when spamming the B button.
His Thundaga shoots down three bolts of lightning coming from a high distance. They hit in a columnal direction downward, a good tactic for edge guarding and spacing opponents. Finally, his Blizzaga is cast right in front of him with a short range, but it does decent shield damage and can freeze enemies. It’s useful when opponents are at higher percentages, making it harder for them to break out of the ice.
His side special move, Sonic Blade, makes Sora charge forward. It can be performed twice more in the same move, adding for good mind games and mobility. Think of this move like Bayonetta’s Heel Slide move, but it can be cast in all directions. The move doesn’t even have to land, making it ideal for retreating from blocking opponents.
Onto his up special, Aerial Sweep. This move is similar to Link’s Spin Attack, except it covers a very generous height even when cast while standing. Sora can, however, follow up with a Sonic Blade after performing his Aerial Sweep. This gives him extreme potential for recovering onto a stage if knocked near the blast zone.
Finally, his down special is Counterattack, a standard counter move that many sword fighters have in Smash Ultimate. It has the same properties as a character like Marth or Roy. Use this on an opponent who you can anticipate their attacks with.
Tips on how to play Sora
Sora is an aerial heavy character. Characters with strong aerial potential dominate in competitive play. The fact that he can perform his Sonic Blade after an Aerial Sweep gives him an extra chance to grab a ledge if he finds himself dangerously away from the platform.
He also has massive stalling potential with how much height he gets for his jumps. Sora can definitely juke opponents and play very safely when edge guarding. He can make use of Thundaga and his overall mobility to deter his opponents from making it back on stage.
Do note that he is a light character and can be KO’ed a lot sooner than a good chunk of the roster.
Sora is the newest and last addition to Ultimate’s roster. Where he’ll stand in terms of tier lists is too early to tell. On one end, he can dish out a surprising amount of damage to his opponents, but somewhat lacks in kill power. He’ll need to rely on setups and edge guarding to make the most out of his moveset, though with enough practice, he just might.
Sora is out now for download on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
