- Game Versions
- Smash 3DS, Smash Wii U
SSB4 Olimar Guide
Olimar is a weird character, you just gotta play your cards right, now your opponent,
& just let some things unfold.
Pros -
Easy to position Kill moves
Can take advantage of any play style, and I mean literally any.
Can rack up damage fast
Great recovery
Cons -
Hard to rack up damage with (Specifically, you might miss at least like, 15 pikmin tosses in a match)
Has to be played slow (Explained in Mobility section)
Tricky to play with in all honesty
You have to block & dodge everything because he's easy to hit
Basics:
Olimar is a very confusing character, he has to be played in such a way that not many would really understand. The key to learning Olimar is the pikmin cycle, it goes from Red-
Yellow-Blue-Poison-Purple, then repeat. Each one represents Damage/Knockback, Stun, Throw, Stack Damage( Side-B, gains a lot of damage) , & Knockback-x2, respectively. You must make note of this, and use this to your advantage, Using any
attack except for Olimar's tilts, all aerials except for nair will start the cycle by one. For example if you whistle while the red cursor is on a Blue pikmin, it will shuffle to the next pikmin you have which could be any.
Now, Olimar's gameplay mainly focuses on reads, or rather, the mindset of your opponent.
If they roll a lot, a lot of F-smashes, setups, & D-smashes will be done.
If they're tactical, you'll probably use his pikmin throw side b a lot, so much that you'll
probably even rack up 50% in like 10 seconds.
If they're a keep away type, then it's best to rush-down as Olimar has a decent
move-set that can be used for a lot of things. Please note that some zoners like Link give
Olimar a really hard time.
Mobility:
Don't run, walk. Only run if you're trying to follow up in a combo, mainly because Olimar needs all of his options, most of which cannot be done in a run.
Attacks:
Neutral Jabs - Two quick punches that are good for knocking people away.
Useful
Forward Tilt - A very strong punch, a KO move at percent's like 120%, pretty easy to hit
with.
Down Tilt - It's a simple head slide, you can use this to F air at mid percents like 40%
and up or to N air if at percents before 40, but this move isn't as easy to hit with as
most attacks.
Up Tilt - Ground version of Nair, not very useful because Nair allows for more options anyway.
F-Smash - Very strong forward throw, can kill most characters at percents like 96%
List of how long the pikmin are thrown ( Same goes for D-Smash, longest to shortest )
Also, if you're on your tip toe animation on the literal edge, this move can go over it but the
pikmin will die.
White/Blue Yellow/Red
Purple
Useful for ledge reads.
D-Smash - Sends two pikmin to head butt your opponent, sometimes pikmin who are sent
backwards will hit forwards, and this is his 2nd best bet for roll spam next to his Nair and
F-smash. Be careful with Purple pikmin though, sometimes when jumping or falling off
ledges the pikmin will reshuffle either do to falling speed or the way you land, and it might
throw you off and you'll send a Purple which isn't very far. This move can go over the edge
but instead of the pikmin dying they'll jump backwards onto the ledge.
U-Smash - Sends a pikmin upwards jumping, unlike his other smashes all pikmin jump the
same height, which is the length of the side platforms on battlefield to the ground. This one
is just as strong as his F-smash unlike his other D-smash, so this one's very good for
killing. Unlike F-smash this move actually has a lot of ending lag, it's less safe than F-
smash but you HAVE to use it in some situations
Grab - Pretty straightforward grab, he sends a pikmin to throw you. Blue pikmin will deal
1.6 damage and knock-back, so all of his throws except for d-throw will kill at high percents
One of the oddest things you can do with his grab however is a weird thing, where if you
dash grab while standing the the edge, any of the pikmin will go extremely far off & grab.
Don't really recommend it though, much better edge guarding options.
Neutral B - Plucks a pikmin, can't be used when 3 of your pikmin are on the field or alive.
Side B - Throws a pikmin, all but purples latch onto opponents. It's worth noting that they'll
latch onto R.O.B.'s gyros too, white pikmin rack up more damage than the more damages.
His side b is where you'll be doing most of your work. They'll be a distraction, blues hold on
harder than the others, have more hp, and whites will be knocked off in about one hit.
Most interesting thing is that they'll stop some moves from even being done, like
Megaman's F-smash and Samus' neutral B. Red pikmin are fire & bomb resistant, yellow
pikmin are electricity resistant, and purples have "technical" super armor where most
projectiles don't affect them while thrown.
Down B - He whistles and it calls his pikmin that are virtually anywhere on the field to
him, they will not come back if they are in the middle of a attack like side b or F-smash,
or if they've been hit while coming back.
Up B - This is a very good recovery, too bad his lack or ledge options make this one of
the ones where you have to land on the stage, which is fairly safe with you being able to
cancel it into an aerial, but eh.
Neutral air - He spins! It's the best dodge catching move in the game by far.
F air - A pretty decent pikmin slap, purples can kill but with the other pikmin it's mostly just used for combos and edge guarding.
B air - Backwards version of F air, it's basically the same.
U air - This one can kill with basically all of the pikmin but the whites, it's also very good for combos like his other aerials.
D air - He spins downwards and sticks out a pikmin, all pikmin can meteor smash but
white pikmin meteor smashes very lightly, best to meteor smash with reds and yellows.
The meteor smash is at the start of when he has the pikmin sticking out so it's there for a few actual frames.
Olimar's checks & counters
Zoners - Villager or Link, almost all zoners give Olimar a hard time, mainly because they
can stop his pikmin ( except for purples ) and they'll rack up as much damage as olimar
will which is not a good spot to be in. He has a sorta easy time against keep-away
because most keep away character's are focused on this.
Strong characters like Ike and Bowser can also kill Olimar really fast so just be careful.
Reflectors. REFLECTORS. RUH. FLEC. TUORS. ;~;
Okay that's really all that counters him. The way to counter Zoners is to just throw
purples at all times you can, he can't counter REFLECTORS, and the best way to beat
strong characters is to use his side b a lot.
Setups
D throw to F air is a very good setup that works on most percents on all characters
If your opponent is dodging a lot, you can force them to make them knock the pikmin
off but you can F-smash with a purple pikmin, who's priority is really high and goes
through most attacks.
Anyone who rolls just once will get destroyed, F-smashing or grabbing can hit them
because of how far they can hit.
End of guide! Frame data and some footage coming soon.
Olimar is a weird character, you just gotta play your cards right, now your opponent,
& just let some things unfold.
Pros -
Easy to position Kill moves
Can take advantage of any play style, and I mean literally any.
Can rack up damage fast
Great recovery
Cons -
Hard to rack up damage with (Specifically, you might miss at least like, 15 pikmin tosses in a match)
Has to be played slow (Explained in Mobility section)
Tricky to play with in all honesty
You have to block & dodge everything because he's easy to hit
Basics:
Olimar is a very confusing character, he has to be played in such a way that not many would really understand. The key to learning Olimar is the pikmin cycle, it goes from Red-
Yellow-Blue-Poison-Purple, then repeat. Each one represents Damage/Knockback, Stun, Throw, Stack Damage( Side-B, gains a lot of damage) , & Knockback-x2, respectively. You must make note of this, and use this to your advantage, Using any
attack except for Olimar's tilts, all aerials except for nair will start the cycle by one. For example if you whistle while the red cursor is on a Blue pikmin, it will shuffle to the next pikmin you have which could be any.
Now, Olimar's gameplay mainly focuses on reads, or rather, the mindset of your opponent.
If they roll a lot, a lot of F-smashes, setups, & D-smashes will be done.
If they're tactical, you'll probably use his pikmin throw side b a lot, so much that you'll
probably even rack up 50% in like 10 seconds.
If they're a keep away type, then it's best to rush-down as Olimar has a decent
move-set that can be used for a lot of things. Please note that some zoners like Link give
Olimar a really hard time.
Mobility:
Don't run, walk. Only run if you're trying to follow up in a combo, mainly because Olimar needs all of his options, most of which cannot be done in a run.
Attacks:
Neutral Jabs - Two quick punches that are good for knocking people away.
Useful
Forward Tilt - A very strong punch, a KO move at percent's like 120%, pretty easy to hit
with.
Down Tilt - It's a simple head slide, you can use this to F air at mid percents like 40%
and up or to N air if at percents before 40, but this move isn't as easy to hit with as
most attacks.
Up Tilt - Ground version of Nair, not very useful because Nair allows for more options anyway.
F-Smash - Very strong forward throw, can kill most characters at percents like 96%
List of how long the pikmin are thrown ( Same goes for D-Smash, longest to shortest )
Also, if you're on your tip toe animation on the literal edge, this move can go over it but the
pikmin will die.
White/Blue Yellow/Red
Purple
Useful for ledge reads.
D-Smash - Sends two pikmin to head butt your opponent, sometimes pikmin who are sent
backwards will hit forwards, and this is his 2nd best bet for roll spam next to his Nair and
F-smash. Be careful with Purple pikmin though, sometimes when jumping or falling off
ledges the pikmin will reshuffle either do to falling speed or the way you land, and it might
throw you off and you'll send a Purple which isn't very far. This move can go over the edge
but instead of the pikmin dying they'll jump backwards onto the ledge.
U-Smash - Sends a pikmin upwards jumping, unlike his other smashes all pikmin jump the
same height, which is the length of the side platforms on battlefield to the ground. This one
is just as strong as his F-smash unlike his other D-smash, so this one's very good for
killing. Unlike F-smash this move actually has a lot of ending lag, it's less safe than F-
smash but you HAVE to use it in some situations
Grab - Pretty straightforward grab, he sends a pikmin to throw you. Blue pikmin will deal
1.6 damage and knock-back, so all of his throws except for d-throw will kill at high percents
One of the oddest things you can do with his grab however is a weird thing, where if you
dash grab while standing the the edge, any of the pikmin will go extremely far off & grab.
Don't really recommend it though, much better edge guarding options.
Neutral B - Plucks a pikmin, can't be used when 3 of your pikmin are on the field or alive.
Side B - Throws a pikmin, all but purples latch onto opponents. It's worth noting that they'll
latch onto R.O.B.'s gyros too, white pikmin rack up more damage than the more damages.
His side b is where you'll be doing most of your work. They'll be a distraction, blues hold on
harder than the others, have more hp, and whites will be knocked off in about one hit.
Most interesting thing is that they'll stop some moves from even being done, like
Megaman's F-smash and Samus' neutral B. Red pikmin are fire & bomb resistant, yellow
pikmin are electricity resistant, and purples have "technical" super armor where most
projectiles don't affect them while thrown.
Down B - He whistles and it calls his pikmin that are virtually anywhere on the field to
him, they will not come back if they are in the middle of a attack like side b or F-smash,
or if they've been hit while coming back.
Up B - This is a very good recovery, too bad his lack or ledge options make this one of
the ones where you have to land on the stage, which is fairly safe with you being able to
cancel it into an aerial, but eh.
Neutral air - He spins! It's the best dodge catching move in the game by far.
F air - A pretty decent pikmin slap, purples can kill but with the other pikmin it's mostly just used for combos and edge guarding.
B air - Backwards version of F air, it's basically the same.
U air - This one can kill with basically all of the pikmin but the whites, it's also very good for combos like his other aerials.
D air - He spins downwards and sticks out a pikmin, all pikmin can meteor smash but
white pikmin meteor smashes very lightly, best to meteor smash with reds and yellows.
The meteor smash is at the start of when he has the pikmin sticking out so it's there for a few actual frames.
Olimar's checks & counters
Zoners - Villager or Link, almost all zoners give Olimar a hard time, mainly because they
can stop his pikmin ( except for purples ) and they'll rack up as much damage as olimar
will which is not a good spot to be in. He has a sorta easy time against keep-away
because most keep away character's are focused on this.
Strong characters like Ike and Bowser can also kill Olimar really fast so just be careful.
Reflectors. REFLECTORS. RUH. FLEC. TUORS. ;~;
Okay that's really all that counters him. The way to counter Zoners is to just throw
purples at all times you can, he can't counter REFLECTORS, and the best way to beat
strong characters is to use his side b a lot.
Setups
D throw to F air is a very good setup that works on most percents on all characters
If your opponent is dodging a lot, you can force them to make them knock the pikmin
off but you can F-smash with a purple pikmin, who's priority is really high and goes
through most attacks.
Anyone who rolls just once will get destroyed, F-smashing or grabbing can hit them
because of how far they can hit.
End of guide! Frame data and some footage coming soon.
