Pikachu/HCL's version

''Pikachu is often thought of as being weak but combo-heavy, and HCL's Pikachu certainly caught wind of that notion, though it's a bit hard to pull off lengthy combo strings when the majority of your moveset can't be activated. Pikachu is naturally very agile, being quick in its attacks and movement, as well as having the ability to Air Jump twice or exchange the initial Air Jump for an Air Dash; don't stand still though, else you might trip...''

Gameplay


Pikachu is a four-button character that plays like a traditional three-button character, using all three punch buttons for attacks and as an alternative to. Pikachu is very weak in terms of both damage output and durability, but attempts to make up for this with comboability, though its significantly lacking moveset consisting of just thirteen attacks, four of which are grabs, severely limiting what is effectively this character's main method of dealing damage; several other moves exist within Pikachu's code, including Specials and Hypers, though they cannot be activated due to the inability to meet the normally impossible requirements.

Though Pikachu is a simple character with very few notable traits, it does feature a peculiar twist on the typical mobility options, featuring projectile invulnerability on its Air Dashes and runs that allows it to counter projectile-heavy characters and get in close to execute a chain combo, with being able to combo into itself. Pikachu is capable of performing two Air Jumps, though it can substitute the first Air Jump with an Air Dash and still perform another Air Jump afterwards, giving it impressive aerial mobility and allowing it to keep the opponent guessing as to where it's going to go, though it cannot perform an Air Dash after an Air Jump; though its ground mobility options may not be as diverse, Pikachu is able to run both forwards and backwards at a very quick pace, allowing it to easily get in or out of the opponent's range.

With the exception of its crouching, Pikachu's attacks all suffer from very low or negative priority, putting Pikachu at a severe disadvantage and making it near-impossible for the character to make contact with an opponent that isn't standing still; while crouching and crouching  do actually feature reasonable priority, it is only vertically, as their horizontal priority is no different from the rest of Pikachu's moves. Pikachu's attacks are very weak and are unable to deal any significant damage to the opponent, not helped by the character's limited comboability as a result of its small moveset, with the exception of its aerial, which not only combos into itself, but deals a reasonably large amount of damage if timed correctly on an airborne opponent, made even more effective by the fact that Pikachu has multiple Air Jumps and the attack pushes the opponent upwards, though its small hitboxes cause most opposing attacks to easily out-prioritised it.

Pikachu makes use of a custom A.I. that is unable to perform as intended due to it being programmed to use moves that it is completely unable to activate, causing it to sometimes stand still and do nothing; as a result of this and the character's disadvantages, Pikachu's A.I. is easy to defeat, especially as it doesn't abuse the overpowered nature of the character's aerial.

Trivia

 * Pikachu may randomly perform its taunt animation when idling, which has Pikachu fall down before getting back up again in a similar vein to the controversial tripping mechanic from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, though performing any action will cause Pikachu to instantly perform said action instead of remaining in its 'tripped' state.
 * Pressing ++ during blockstun will cause Pikachu to get stuck in its current guarding animation without the ability to guard attacks, leaving it completely open to attack.
 * It is possible for Pikachu to get suspended in midair during an Air Dash if one is used while Pikachu is against the wall and attempts to move in the opposite direction just before the animation ends; the glitch causes Pikachu to lose all projectile invulnerability, though unlike the guarding glitch, it is possible to free Pikachu from this state by simply activating an attack or performing an Air Jump.