Sebastian
***
>~~BACKGROUND~~<
Sebastian the Crab (full name "Horatio Thelonious Ignacious Crustaceous Sebastian") is a Disney character who first appears in Disney's 1989 feature film The Little Mermaid. He is one of the main characters of the film, voiced by Samuel E. Wright.
When the film opens, Sebastian is announced as being the "royal court composer", and conducts a concert that King Triton's seven daughters are supposed to perform. Ariel, the youngest daughter, fails to show up for the concert, and later Sebastian joins King Triton in scolding her, blaming her for his humiliation. King Triton, worried about Ariel, tasks Sebastian with following Ariel and keeping her out of trouble.
Sebastian tries to do the job given to him, and is horrified when Ariel saves the life of and falls in love with a human. Sebastian accidentally lets this information slip to King Triton, who confronts Ariel. Feeling guilty for having "betrayed" Ariel, Sebastian follows Ariel when she visits Ursula the sea witch for help, and later becomes an adviser in her quest to win Prince Eric's affections.
In the film, Sebastian starts out in a parental, supervisory role over Ariel, and over time becomes her close friend.
>~~STATS~~<
Power: 3/10
Sebastian is one of the weaker characters in the game; his game is focused much more on combos than powerful attacks.
Walking Speed: 5.5/10
Sebastian's walking speed is averagely speedy, him having speed to make up for his lack of power.
Dashing Speed: 9/10
Sebastian really picks up the pace here, being one of the speedier characters in the game.
Weight: 2.5/10
Due to his small size, Sebastian is obviously not going to weigh that much. He is not the lightest character, but is one of the lighter ones in the game.
Range: 5.5/10
Some of Sebastian's attacks can have decent range and a disjointed hitbox, but they generally aren't that great at all.
Projectile Distance: 4/10
Sebastian's initial projectile distance is rather mediocre, but his projectile can move if he's lucky, so it's not that awful.
Size: 2/10
Sebastian is a rather tiny character, being slightly shorter than Squirtle, while sharing his width, and still being resized a fair deal. He is quite difficult to hit, but it doesn't take much to KO him.
Attack Speed: 8.5/10
Generally, Sebastian has quite speedy attack, due his character being about combos over power.
Priority: 4/10
This stat is surprisingly high for such a light character; some of Sebsatian's moves can cut through attacks, but he still has a whole lot of weak attacks as well.
First Jump: 6/10
This stat is above average, as Sebastian has a fairly floaty and controllable first jump.
Second Jump: 7/10
This jump improves slightly as Sebastian struggles to push himself higher into the air.
Aerial DI: 10/10
Sebastian can DI with utmost ease, being able to float in and out of, and around, most attacks as if he were underwater.
Fall Speed: 1.5/10
Sebastian falls with an extremely floaty style. New Sebastian players might even feel that they are underwater with this floatiness.
Recovery: 8.5/10
Sebastian has an easy time recovering onto the stage, but he can be punished be competent players due to its predictability. Sebastian's recovery can bring him back from almost anywhere onscreen, but he needs all of this due to his miniscule weight.
Crouch: 9/10
Sebastian's small size allows him to easily dodge a good deal of attacks.
Traction: 6/10
Sebastian's frantic scuttling can detract from his stability a good bit, but he still manages to keep reasonable traction.
Comboability: 8.5/10
Sebastian's comboability depends on the player; newer players might find it difficult, but master players can control opponents with this crab with a flurry of speedy moves.
Wall Jump: No
Wall Cling: No
Crawling: Yes
Gliding: No
Tether Recovery: Yes
>~~ANIMATIONS~~<
Walking:
Sebastian leans forward slightly and puts both claws on his shell behind his back, as he scuttles forward, resembling a pacing old man slightly.
Running:
Sebastian brings his claws in front of him and leans up a bit straighter so he is not bending over as much, but is not entirely straight. In this position, he scuttles forward slightly quicker.
Dashing:
Sebastian gives his dash his all, moving both claws in circular motions in front of him like a human would pump his arms, for more momentum, while he scrambles forward at high speed.
Jump #1:
Sebastian's legs extend slightly upwards, pushing his body upwards into a jump before pulling back up to him at normal length.
Jump #2:
In his floaty second jump, Sebastian flails his claws above his head slightly for more distance, as if paddling upwards underwater.
Crouching:
Sebastian pulls his head into his shell slightly, almost like a turtle, while covering the small part of his head still showing with both claws. If he has no shell (explained in some later moves), he still pulls his neck back, but no shell covers him.
Crawling:
Sebastian moves his legs close to the ground and scrambles forward while maintaining his crouching pose above. He has a quite rapid crawl.
Ledge-Hanging:
Sebastian hangs onto the ledge with one claw, looking downwards nevously.
Swimming:
Sebastian paddles his claws in front of him, pulling himself forward speedily. Due to being a crab, Sebastian has a speedy swim, and can't drown by staying in the water or swimmng normally. The only way he can drown is if he swims back and forth too quickly (like dashdancing in the water), in which case he gets tired, panting as he sinks. Sebastian can still get spiked through the water, though.
Idle Animation:
Sebastian stands on the stage, peering around anxiously. Occasionally, if left alone too long, he'll sit down (not actually sitting, just lowing his body to the ground a bit) and start humming the main melody from Under the Sea to himself.
Forward Roll:
Sebastian darts forward in a slightly comical manner, pulling himself with both claws for more speed before turning around at maximum rolling range. Not that he needs much more speed here, as his rolls are quite speedy.
Backward Roll:
Sebastian brings his body low to the ground and rapidly scuttles backwards, his claws behind him, as if he were rapidly crawling backwards. He gets up at maximum range.
Spot Dodge:
Sebastian flinches, putting both claws in front of his eyes comically, as he jumps quickly into the background. He holds the pose for a brief time period before quickly hopping back.
Air Dodge:
Sebastian tucks into his shell, fully this time, as he spins around rapidly before popping back out. He does the same animation if he has no shell (explained in Down Smash).
Shield:
Sebastian leans backwards behind his shield, cowering slightly, holding his claws up in front of him.
Tripped:
Instead of falling on his arse, Sebastian flips onto his back when he trips, kicking around helplessly like a real crab.
Dizzy:
Sebastian groans to himself as he puts one claw to his forehead and his eyes spin.
Sleeping:
Sebastian lies on his back, one claw at his side, the other across his soft stomach area, snoring quickly as he dozes off.
***
>~~MOVESET~~<
>~~SPECIALS~~<
Neutral Special - Crabby Clamp
Sebastian takes a claw, extends it to his side, and gives it a snap. The snap occurs rather rapidly, with little startup lag, and a fair deal (but not too much) ending lag. The snap is fairly close range, although his claw enlarges slightly while clamping. There are two hitboxes on this move; foes who barely nick Sebastian's claw take 6-8% and fair knockback.
However, foes who get hit by the claw area right next to Sebastian get a different effect. If this happens, Sebastian will cling to the foe with his clamped claw, being attached to them for a short period of time while automatically dealing 7% of knockbackless damage. The area Sebastian clings on each opponent varies per foe, but each area looks quite painful, no matter where he is. For example, on Mario, Sebastian grabs his oversized nose, while on Link, he clamps onto his crotch area (no wonder he can only speak in pained grunts).
While clinging, Sebastian has several options for damaging his victim. Foes move at half their normal speed and jump half their normal height when Sebastian is attached to them. By pressing B, Sebastian simply hops off the foe into the air, like Diddy for his Monkey Flip, but a slightly shorter distance upwards, dealing 3-4% and a small set knockback. However, by pressing the A Button, Sebastian pinches the foe with the claw not used to hold on, dealing 1% and being extremely quick.
By holding a direction button with the A Button, Sebastian forces the foe to move in the opposite direction, running at half speed to move away from his claws. Sebastian can use this to move his foes into traps, or off an edge. Mashing the A Button is the best idea in most cases. If a foe can be manipulated into danger by the simultaneous use of the Control Stick, by all means do it. However, be careful not to bring Sebastian into the danger zone himself while he is clinging. Sebastian cannot move foes if he catches them in the air, but he can "Sebastiancide" in a similar manner to Wario's bite. He can also simply detach and footstool the foe before recovering himself. Overall, this is a decent damage racker and can lead to some interesting combos.
Side Special - Shell Toss
Sebastian takes one of three sea shells and throws it as a projectile. Throwing a shell has slightly less startup and ending lag than a Fireball. The range, knockback, and priority varies with each shell type. Tossing shells is a nice way to put space between Sebastian and his foes, as well as for dealing damage. Each of the shells have different properties:
The most common type of shell is a simple clam shell. These appear as commonly as Waddle Dees. They travel as far as Luigi's Fireball, being about the same size as well, and have below average priority. Foes who hit the shell take very low knockback and 3-5%. This shell vanishes when it hits a foe or the ground. It is the most useful shell for dealing damage consistently, being the most common. Although it will almost never KO a foe by knocking them off the stage, it can be used for gimping while keeping Sebastian onstage. Don't underestimate this.
The next variety of shell is a cone shell, the kind that you can hear the ocean in if you listen into it. Here, the shell travels a slightly lesser distance, similar to that of Mario's fireball, and has moderate priority. The shell is still Fireball-sized, but the range is not what it appears to be at first. Foes hit by the shell take below average knockback and 5-7%. However, the shell stays on the ground after being thrown. Sebastian or any other character can throw it again. If any foe touches the shell, though, the shell emits a spray of water similar to Squirtle's Water Gun at 3/4 charge. This pushes foes back, but deals no damage. However, this can still edgeguard foes or set them up for more attacks, so use this to your advantage by throwing foes into it. The shell can spray water up to three times before vanishing. It can also be attack to shatter it, the shell having 20 HP.
The final shell, appearing as often as Gordos, are red crab shells, identical to the one Sebastian wears. If Sebastian has no shell (detailed under his Down Smash), he climbs into it with little lag, not throwing anything, but regaining the benefits of having a shell. However, if he already has a shell on, he gains the shell as a throwing item with no lag. When he throws it, it starts acting like a Red Shell from Melee, following the nearest foe and dealing moderate vertical knockback and fair damage. This is quite rare, but highly useful and effective when you receive it.
Down Special - Song of the Sea
Sebastian clears his throat briefly, then begins singing his well-known, Academy Award-winning song,
Under the Sea. This does nothing at first; the only notable difference that can be seen at first is that, if you stand still in place, Sebastian dances around in place, standing on his legs and doing a little dance in a circle. Sebastian can move, dodge, jump, attack, and do any other command while singing.
His dance or singing do no damage, and have no effect...unless you use any of Sebastian's music-related attacks. Whenever you use one of these attacks while Sebastian is singing, they deal 1/2 times more damage and knockback than usual. However, Sebastian can be attacked anytime during the song, which makes him stop singing, and lessens the damage and knockback of his music-related attacks for however long he was singing. This is a great move for those players who feel confident in their comboing abilities, but should be used carefully to prevent even more attack weakness in Sebastian. The singing can be cancelled by pressing Down B again, which causes Sebastian to bow quickly for a small bit of ending lag.
Sebastian's music-related moves are as follows:
- Forward Tilt
- Up Tilt
- Forward Smash
- Back Air
- Down Air
- Up Taunt (this is not an attack unless Sebastian is singing)
The chorus he sings is as follows:
Under the sea
Under the sea
Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me
Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
While we devotin'
Full time to floatin'
Under the sea
The whole song takes about twenty seconds to finish entirely. If Sebastian somehow manages to finish the whole song without being interrupted (if he is stopped, he starts the song over from scratch), he heals 20% for himself. This is almost impossible to do unless Sebastian runs away on a larger stage, but if it is pulled off, it helps Sebastian a lot, due to needing to stay at low damage because of his light weight. Make use of this song, as it contributes a lot to Sebastian's game of trickery.
Up Special - Scuttled Landing
Out of thin air above Sebastian appears Scuttle, the scatterbrained seagull, who picks up Sebastian with his webbed feet and proceeds to flap upwards. This provides for a great controllable recovery, while Scuttle flies Sebastian around onscreen. His vertical gain is slow and a bit awkward, but Scuttle can easily move horizontally with even more control than Pit's Wings. Being lighter than any other character with controllable recovery, Sebastian can use Scuttle to recover for longer than even R.O.B.'s Up Special, having about five seconds to control Scuttle around to get back to the stage.
If Sebastian is attacked off Scuttle, though, the seagull will vanish and Sebastian will be helpless, being screwed. Sebastian can press B to cause Scuttle to vanish early, allowing Sebastian to attack freely again and use a mid-air jump if he still has one. Calling out Scuttle has rather small lag, and hopping off is almost lagless. However, Sebastian is vulnerable for a split second if he lands on the ground during flight, Scuttle vanishing if this happens and Sebastian getting back to his feet. Hop off while airborne rather than landing to end the recovery early.
Scuttle is not useless while flapping around. By tapping A while airborne, Scuttle will, with slight startup lag, start screeching an awful din, creating jagged soundwaves at an infinitesimally longer range than Jigglypuff's Sing. Any foes who touch these directly for more than half a second enter a helpless state, being in trouble unless there is a ledge or ground below them. The foe can DI away and this deals no damage, but Sebastian can move with Scuttle to keep the foe in the waves as well. This is a useful effect to have with a recovery, and differentiates Scuttle from other controllable recoveries, so use it well.
>~~BASIC ATTACKS~~<
Basic Combo - Fan Coral
In his claw, Sebastian takes a small piece of fan coral and taps rapidly forward with it. This attack deals a pitiful 1% and is extremely quick, with almost no lag starting or ending. The range is rather low, and the priority is pitiful. This deals no knockback. However, if Sebastian continues to hit the A Button, he'll continuously whack at foes with the coral, in an effect similar to the Fan item. Nifty, right?
This coral is about as easy to DI out of as the normal Fan. However, as a saving grace for the numbskulls that think the Fan is an infinite, Sebastian can only mash at foes 15 times in a row, each hit dealing 1%. After 15 hits, Sebastian has slight ending lag, more than normal, but still not that much. This is a great way to slowly, but surely build damage, as long as you don't let the poor priority wreck you.
Dash Attack - Spree
From his dash, Sebastian quickly turns onto his back and slides forward, holding his claws above his head and calling out "Whee!" Depending on the type of terrain he's on, Sebastian can cover more or less range. On normal terrain, he slides for about 1.5 Stage Builder blocks. Here, he has the best priority (average) and deals the most knockback at the start of the move, these stats decreasing drastically after sliding a bit further. The range is always rather close. However, if Sebastian is on water-soaked or slanted turf, he'll retain these stats as he slides as long as the slope or water lasts, getting up afterwards. Getting up has little lag, making it easy to combo with. Knockback here is rather low as well, making it slightly punishable, but easy to follow foes out of. It deals 5-7% to foes.
However, if Sebastian has no shell (detailed under Down Smash), he deals half the knockback of the normal attack. The priority is also decreased a great deal, as is the range, due to not having the shell for momentum. To get momentum here, Sebastian pulls himself along with his claws, still having low startup and ending lag, but being quite punishable. Here, Sebastian deals three hits of 2%, the first two trapping foes (although they can easily escape and punish) and the third doing a bit of hitstun. Unless you are sure you can safely get up and combo the foe some more, don't do this move without a shell. The range is still low here, although Sebastian's claws increase the hitbox ever so slightly.
>~~TILTS~~<
Forward Tilt - Coral Composition
Sebastian takes a simple pond cattail and begins sweeping it around, as if directing an orchestra. By pressing the F-Tilt input once, Sebastian starts sweeping the cattail around at a moderate speed. Sebastian continues conducting until you cancel the move by rolling or by pressing the input again. The cattail hits at below average range, has low priority, but is a disjointed hitbox. The move comes out and ends rather rapidly. This deals low knockback and about 3-4% per sweep of the cattail.
A small bonus comes with this move if there is background music turned on (who the hell turns it off?). If Sebastian taps A in time to the rhythm of the BGM (a bit like DK's Final Smash), small multicolored music notes come out of the cattail and fly forward about half a Stage Builder block horizontally before vanishing. The notes have low priority, but come out fast and are still disjointed. Each note gives foes a bit of hitstun and 1%, but if you are in time to the music, they come in amounts large enough to combo the foe quite nicely. Once you start conducting with notes, Sebastian has a bit more cooldown lag after ending the move. However, if used in the correct situations, it can be quite an effective damage builder. Plus, it's fun to conduct the Brawl music you know and love, rather than another crappy remix of the Jungle Hijinx music that shouldn't be there in place of
any other better DKC song...
Also, if Sebastian is singing Under the Sea with his Down Special while conducting with this F-Tilt, he must press the A Button in time to his own song, rather than the overlapping BGM. Interesting, huh?
Down Tilt - Jaw Dropping
Sebastian gets a shocked look on his face as his lower jaw comically falls open, enlarging slightly to hit foes. The hitbox here is his jaw, of course, which has fairly low priority and hits at a rather close range. It comes out rather quickly as well. Getting hit by the jaw as it falls deals 5% and low knockback.
However, by holding out the D-Tilt input, Sebastian can hold out the pose (great for screen shots) as long as Wario can hold out his bite. This does no damage until you release it, upon which Sebastian's jaw comically snaps back up into place, giving a charged chomp to foes at close range. The priority is not great, but surprising for such a close range move. This has slight ending lag as Sebastian's jaw returns to normal position, but deals more damage and knockback depending on how long you hold the pose. This can range from low knockback and 5-6% to average knockback and 10-11%. Although it can be tricky to use against any foe who attacks frequently near Sebastian, it can be great for catching opponents offguard.
Up Tilt - Salsa
Sebastian pulls out a pair of brightly colored maracas. Looks like he visited Mexico recently...anyways, he just shakes them above his head comically like the picture below. He takes out the maracas with very little lag and has little lag stowing them after shaking them, which takes a split second to do. The range is decent, although not as far as his F-Tilt. The priority here is fairly nice as well, although it is not that hard to overcome. Foes hit by the maracas take 6-7% and low vertical knockback. Although this move is not super fast, it can be effective for juggling foes with low damage, so utilize it in your combos.
An important detail here is that the maracas themselves are disjointed hitboxes. If their priority is overcome, the maracas break, ending the move early and releasing the seeds inside as Sebastian sadly tosses away the broken instruments with no lag. The seeds released stay on the ground for ten seconds, having a 50% chance of tripping foes whenever they are walked over. The seeds take up the area of one Stage Builder block. Sebastian cannot use his U-Tilt again until the seeds vanish after ten seconds. Although you don't really want to have your maracas broken, this can be a nice little side effect. Still, don't rely on it, as some attacks can hit Sebastian while breaking the maracas as well...
>~~SITUATIONALS~~<
Downed Attack - Sand Crab
As Sebastian gets up again, he spins around in his shell, a bit like Bowser's ledge attack from Melee. This has below average priority, deceptive (although not that great) range, and starts and ends quickly, making it hard to punish. However, foes hit by Sebastian's spinning take...no damage or knockback?! What?!
Instead, when foes hit the shell, sandy particles fly out, dealing rapid multiple hits to foes, up to nine if foes hit every particle. The first eight hits do no knockback and trap foes, while the last hit gives foes moderate hitstun, not knocking them back at all, but leaving Sebastian a small period of time to combo the foe after spinning. The sand has low priority, but can hit foes that don't touch the shell, so keep your distance until Sebastian finishes the move, then punish him. The sand covers half a Stage Builder block's range on either side of Sebastian's shell. It comes out and vanishes rather quickly, like the green spores from Toad. The multiple hits can do anywhere from 1-9%.
Flipped Attack - Helpless Struggle
Sebastian, lying on his back, flails and kicks his legs about wildly, trying to right himself like a flipped turtle. His frantic kicks deal multiple light hits to foes. The kicks have surprisingly average priority, but fairly close range. This attacks starts and ends rather quickly, as Sebastian kicks, then rolls over to get back up. Depending on which side of Sebastian's legs foes hit, foes can be lightly knocked backwards or forward. This attack deals 3-5% to foes, and can clear the area around Sebastian nicely, although it is not wise to do so too many times, or foes will be able to counterattack easily.
Tripped Attack - Muck Dusting
As Sebastian gets to his feet, he dusts off his body haughtily, sending out a cloud of brown sea muck on either side of him. How disrespectful of the foe to knock him down! The clouds of muck are about half the size of Kirby, and float horizontally the distance of one Stage Builder block to either side of Sebastian. The clouds have low priority and come out quickly. Sebastian brushes twice to get off both clouds before standing again. This gives the move some ending lag, but this is not too much of a problem. The clouds deal no damage to foes, but stun them as if in a shield-break, the foe getting muck in their eyes. The clouds also push foes back with a weak wind effect, to get foes away from Sebastian. Overall, it's decent, but should not be relied on, as it's not perfect.
Ledge Attack - Sea Star Dart
As he climbs onto the ledge, Sebastian throws a simple yellow starfish in a downwards arc in front of him. The starfish spins as it goes, hitting the ground a distance of 3/4 Stage Builder block from the ledge. The starfish has average priority and comes out quickly. It is about half the size of Staryu, and has two dizzy eyes on it. The starfish vanishes when it hits the ground or a foe. If it hits a foe, it deals 6-7% and barely below average horizontal knockback. The main use of this move is to clear foes away from Sebastian, which is something he really needs, seeing as how he's so light. Although he can be shield-grabbed out of it rather easily, it's still a nice tool to have.
Ledge Attack (over 100%) - Hooked on You
As Sebastian struggles onto the ledge (with average startup lag), he pulls out a clawful of small pointy fishing hooks, extending them in his claw to the foe as he recovers. The hooks have below average priority and hit at a close range. Sebastian stows them after a brief period, doing so quickly, but still being punishable for a short frame of time. However, the size of the hitbox is rather surprising, so it can knock away foes lightly from a barely below average distance. Also, if foes hit the hooks spot-on (like Rest or Luigi's Up Special), they'll get caught on the hooks, and Sebastian will make a shrugging motion to toss the hooked foe over his shoulder and over the ledge, them having a Footstool-effect for a split second. Although this is dangerous, as Sebastian is extremely easy to KO at over 100%, it just might be able to score you an extra KO if you hit and gimp foes perfectly.
>~~SMASHES~~<
Forward Smash - Claw Dance
As he charges, Sebastian faces forward, holding up both claws in front of him, closed like fists. When released, Sebastian charges forward at the speed of Falco's dash, doing three quick clamps with his claws, before stopping. This has little start-up or ending lag, but everywhere on the hitbox (the claws) except for directly in front of the claws is quite low priority, so this move can be interrupted somewhat easily.
However, the range is rather surprising, being able to pull foes into the clamps quite easily. Foes will also have a difficult time escaping unless they have high damage. Sebastian covers about one Stage Builder block uncharged, but can cover up to two blocks if fully charged. The first two clamps can deal 3-6% and trap foes, while the last clamp deals 4-7% and below average knockback, for a maximum of 19%, although this is hard to pull off. Although this is a great, usable damage builder, it's not the best at KOing, although it is possible. Use on unsuspecting foes, as experienced players can roll around Sebastian as he charges forward and punish him.
Down Smash - Shell Shocked
During the charge, Sebastian gets into a defensive stance, his claws held in front of him. Upon release, Sebastian pops into his red shell rapidly, then pops rapidly back out. This deals...no damage? What? However, if Sebastian is attacked while in his shell, the shell enlarges slightly (having close range), countering the attack back at the foe. The charge of the Smash changes the power of the counter, ranging from slightly less powerful than Marth's counter to slightly less powerful than Ike's counter. The shell can counter almost all physical attacks that hit it, as well as absorb most projectiles with no damage for Sebastian. However, like other counters, explosive projectiles still deal damage.
Sounds cool, huh? However, you cannot spam this. If it is used to counter (as in it actually hits an attack, not just thin air) more than five times in a period of thirty seconds, the shell will crack and break, leaving Sebastian naked, causing him to look down and cover the area where his genitalia would be with his claws, sporting an embarrassed grin. Not only does this give him moderate ending lag, it takes away about half of Sebastian's weight. This is really quite awful for him, as he is already very light. His Dash Attack also loses a lot of its usefulness. To regain his shell, Sebastian must fully charge this Smash (which won't counter anymore, and will require 1.5 times the normal charge time) in one go. That is, if you are interrupted halfway through, you'll have to fully charge it again. If you are lucky, you may get a new shell with his Side Special, but don't count on it. Use this move carefully, as it can be highly effective at times, as long as you don't get carried away.
Up Smash - Dinglehopper
From his shell, Sebastian pulls out a standard silver fork, and holds it above him, charging. Upon release, Sebastian twirls it around above his head, the tine end pointing upwards, dealing multiple rapid hits to foes. The fork can deal up to five hits on foes; four light ones for trapping foes, and one final one to knock them away. The fork is a small disjointed hitbox, which hits foes with the tines, not the holding end. It has fair vertical range, and surprisingly average priority.
Depending on where foes are hit with the spinning fork, they are knocked in different directions. Foes who take the final hit on the tip of the tines take below average vertical knockback, which they can use to punish Sebastian if he is too slow. However, if they are hit closer to the bottom of the fork's head area, they are pulled down to the ground next to Sebastian. Although high level players can tech the hit, unprepared opponents will fall to the ground, leaving them open for a combo. Although the hits can be DIed out of, this is still a useful Smash for building damage and comboing. The first four hits can deal 1-3%, while the last hit can deal 3-6%, for a maximum of 18% to foes. In case you're wondering, 'dinglehopper' is the name Scuttle has for a fork, which is used to comb hair. Now that's styling!
>~~AERIALS~~<
Neutral Air - Life is the Bubbles
This is a unique N-Air; with the button input, a cluster of bubbles form around Sebastian, obscuring him from view (but not making his form any bigger, him still being normal-sized when surrounded by bubbles) and making him stationary in the air. This means that he won't move or fall from his current position in the air...for three seconds. If he waits all of those three seconds, though, the bubbles will disappear uselessly and Sebastian will become helpless. Since you don't want this, there are a few other options you can perform with this move.
By holding the A Button after inputing the move's input, as well as moving the Control Stick, you can direct Sebastian around in midair, him being able to float due to the bubbles. This is like Peach's floating, but in any direction, making it a handy recovery tool. However, this floating only lasts for one second before Sebastian goes helpless. By releasing A, Sebastian will enter his normal aerial state, being safe to call on Scuttle for the rest of his recovery (unless you've already lost him, in which case, you're pretty screwed). Also, the bubbles have no priority, and breaking them will put Sebastian in helpless form too, so be careful when using this to recover against an aggressive edge-guarder. The bubbles move at half the speed of Pit's Wings, so it's not exactly maneuverable, either. If you decide to enter your normal aerial state from this effect, you can't use N-Air again until you hit solid ground.
The second effect is pretty cool, too. If you spin the Control Stick around while floating (but not holding A to float around), the bubbles will extend a small distance all around Sebastian, being about the size of Coin Battle coins, but still covering his whole body, making it the hitbox. This lasts for one second before the bubbles float off Sebastian and he enters his normal aerial status. If a foe hits you while you're floating here, they'll lose half of their fall speed, becoming floatier. This has low priority, but fair range, although you can't move. The bubbles come out and go fast, as well. This can be punished, but if you do it right, you can keep your foes up longer to combo them better. This deals no damage.
Finally, if you press the A Button when not performing the other two effects, Sebastian will stick out a claw and pop the bubbles around him. This makes a small little blast the size of Kirby, having average priority and coming out and leaving quickly. This blast deals surprisingly average knockback and 7%. This is a fairly simple attack, although if you want to do it quickly, you'll have to tap A twice, making it slightly less than ideal. Still, it's one of Sebastian's best aerials in terms of knockback, so don't neglect it. Use the other effects for mindgames and recovery if necessary, but this is the easiest to do and is the most useful, normally.
Forward Air - Snarfblat
Sebastian takes a standard English smoking pipe, holding it in front of him, and blows into it, causing several nasty looking bubbles and seaweed to erupt from the end. He takes out and stows the pipe rather quickly, meaning this move is easy to pull out for smooth combos. The bubbles have below average priority, being the hitbox, and extend a rather small range. You generally have to be in your foe's face to land this properly. The nasty bubbles deal three light hits to foes; two to trap them and one to knock them away lightly. Because of this, if your aerial DI is good, you can follow foes with several F-Airs in a row, although they can DI out as well and punish if they are fast enough. Each hit deals 2-3%, for a maximum of 9%.
Another effect of this move is that if you hit at extremely close range, as in Jigglypuff's Rest, the bubbles will get in your foe's face and they will enter a footstool jumped state, freefalling for a second before regaining control. This increases the usability of the move for edgeguarding, although it doesn't make it any safer to use, as the recovering foe can still hit you out of it before they come into contact with the pipe. Use with care! As a side note, snarfblat is another one of Scuttle's scatterbrained explanations for human items.
Back Air - Woodwinds
A fairly simple move in function, but difficult to pull off properly; Sebastian quickly takes out a small wooden panflute and blows into it musically, causing some spiraling air to come out the back. He plays for a short period of time before putting the flute away. The wind has very low priority, being merely wind. It comes out in a very thin line, extending about 3/4 a Stage Builder block. Foes hit by the wind take...no damage? However, they are blown backwards with decent force, slightly less than that of Mr. Game & Watch's U-Air. Of course, this means its best use is for edgeguarding. While it is stowed with average lag, meaning it can't be abused too heartily, this can still be a pain for foes with crappy recoveries. Jump off while hanging from a ledge and use this to gimp foes who would barely make the edge.
This B-Air doesn't suck; it flat out
blows.
Up Air - King Crab
A small pointy golden crown appears on Sebastian's head, who tilts his head upwards, grinning and admiring himself. The crown's spikes enlarge slightly as he does so, knocking foes upwards with surprisingly average power. This is
the Sebastian aerial, it can KO foes off the top with relative ease, being disjointed and having sweetspots closer to Sebastian's head. The crown comes out and vanishes quickly, so it can be used several times while airborne at a time. The crown deals 6-8%, meaning it can be great for using through platforms to build damage on foes.
You may be asking, is there any downside to this move? The answer is yes; if a foe attacks the crown from the side, he'll knock it off Sebastian's head, who will lag for a second in grief, being completely open. For the next thirty seconds, Sebastian will be unable to summon a new crown with this move. This makes it hard to spam this move against good opponents, so pick and choose when you want to use this aerial. It's not 100% positive.
Down Air - Strings
Sebastian spreads his claws into the air, as a slanted series of strings appear below him. Sebastian proceeds to slide down the strings on his feet, causing them to play string music. The strings extend down about a Stage Builder block, slanted in the direction Sebastian is facing. The strings have slightly more priority than Sonic's D-Air (which is the closest thing to it), which is still not great, but is bearable. After sliding, Sebastian enters his normal aerial status again (although with a lot of downwards momentum), not being forced to drop all the way to the ground. If he does hit the ground, however, he has below average ending lag, as he straightens up. The move comes out and ends fast otherwise. Foes who hit Sebastian or the strings he's sliding over in the air take 5-6% and low knockback. If they are hit on the ground, however, they take 7-8% and below average knockback. As this will most likely cause you to self-destruct if you are offstage (with all the downwards momentum), the best use is as a surprise onstage to start a combo.
>~~GRAB AND THROWS~~<
Grab - Seaweed Greens
Sebastian takes a strand of seaweed in one claw and casts it in front of him, trying to snare his foe. If he ends up grabbing them, he pulls them in, the foe getting wrapped in the seaweed, and holds them tightly against his shell, Sebastian turning around to catch them on his shell rather than elsewhere. The seaweed flies out as far as Lucas' Rope Snake, having rather average distance. There is below average startup and ending lag on this grab, making it rather typical for a lightweight.
However, there is a small twist here. The more Sebastian grabs a foe with the seaweed, the longer and greener the seaweed grows, extending to from Rope Snake's length to that of the Plasma Wire with five successful grabs. However, the seaweed becomes easier for the foe to button mash out of the grab, meaning Sebastian will have to learn to throw the foe faster to be successful. If the foe escapes, the seaweed loses some green coloring and the length shrinks back to normal. The lag stays the same no matter what. Keep your weed at a decent length to maximize offensive use. This works as a tether recovery as well, being helpful as a safer option to get to the ledge than Up Special.
Pummel - Friction
Sebastian rubs the foe, tied-up in the seaweed, against his shell rapidly. This is insanely spammable, but only deals 1% fire damage. Use this to rapidly build damage when you have a foe in your grasp.
Forward Throw - Horseshoe Crab
Sebastian releases the foe (no lag) and takes a simple metal horseshoe (the size of a Pokeball) and hurls it at the foe, dealing 8% and average knockback. This is a fairly quick throw, and the best of Sebastian's throws for knockback. However, the horseshoe stays out on the ground about a Stage Builder block away from Sebastian after this throw (unless he does it so the horseshoe flies off the edge). It can be thrown as an item now, dealing the same damage and knockback as it does with this throw, and staying out as long as Diddy's Bananas. You must wait until this horseshoe vanishes before you can use this throw again. This can be a nice way to follow up the throw, as long as the foe doesn't get the horseshoe first.
Back Throw - String 'Em Up!
Sebastian's claws move in a blur as he ties a fancy knot around the seaweed-trapped foe, releasing the foe behind him. This takes slightly longer than Sebastian's other foes, dealing no knockback, but trapping foes in the seaweed like a Pitfall effect (just not burying them). It also deals a light 2-3%. If you drop a foe off the edge like this, meaning you throw them while standing on the ledge, they enter a footstool jumped ffect. Otherwise, you'll leave them vulnerable to a counterattack, such as a quick Dash Attack or Basic Combo. The foe can button mash to escape, but they'll get out if they're hit by anything, so you won't be able to hold them there. This is a nice way for a two-hit combo, and as they are held longer if they have more damage, you might be able to even KO a foe with a Smash when they are held after being damaged a good deal.
Down Throw - Spider Crab
Sebastian releases the foe beneath him (the seaweed vanishing), as his feet stretch out and grow slightly. He then begins trampling the foe under him, a bit like Kirby/Meta Knight's D-Throw. However, this throw goes on for about half as long, dealing a bit less damage, but doing a bit more knockback. This throw has below average damage and 7%.
However, to differentiate it from those boring throws, Sebastian's legs stay stretched out like those of a Japanese Spider Crab for five seconds (not increasing his height, as he tucks them in a bit). This slows his dashing speed down by a bit due to being a bit awkward (from 9/10 to 8/10), but increasing his jumps from 6/10 to 6.5/10 for his first jump, and from 7/10 to 7.5/10 for his second jump. This doesn't last long enough to be super useful, but is an interesting effect to experience while it lasts. If you use the D-Throw again before the five seconds are up, nothing happens, as the leg enlargement periods can't overlap. After the five seconds, his legs return to normal size.
Up Throw - Seahorse Lasso
Sebastian takes the foe in the seaweed, holding them above his head in one claw, and begins spinning them around like a lasso. This lasts for about half a second before Sebastian releases the foe, knocking them upwards for below average knockback and 6%. This isn't especially helpful for a throw, but you can angle the Control Stick left or right diagonally above Sebastian during the startup to sling them in that direction. Because of this, you can direct the foe into hazards, or in a specific direction to make it easier for you to follow them. Foes who hit the spinning foe in a FFA take average knockback and 10-12%.
>~~FINAL SMASH~~<
Final Smash - Royal Concert
Sebastian waves his claws, causing a stream of bubbles to cover the entire stage screen for a second. When the bubbles clear up, Sebastian is seen riding down onto an underwater orchestra stage, on a seashell carriage pulled by two goldfish. He jumps onto the conductor's podiumfrom the shell and bows, to a rousing applause from the audience of merpeople and various sea creatures. The screen then zooms past the audience and podium to the stage, where the foes Sebastian was facing stand, with an orchestra of various fish in the background, all set up with their instruments and music stands.
This area is about the size of Final Destination, with pits on either end for foes to fall off of. However, the steep edges cannot be grabbed here, so try not to fall off. Foes can do anything they do in their normal moveset, including attack, but it doesn't affect other foes onstage or the hazards Sebastian can summon. Speaking of which, Sebastian starts conducting the orchestra, causing them to play a colorful oceanic tune.
An icon of a crab's claw with a baton appears over one of the various sections of the orchestra. By pressing the A Button, you summon that section to swim up to the main stage where the foes are and play their solo, which damages the foe in various ways. Moving the icon around with the Control Stick moves it to one of four other sections that can be chosen, there being five sections overall. The creatures cannot be attacked; the foe's only hope being to dodge them. It would be easy for foes to dodge these, except they move at half speed due to being underwater, in everything they do. You must anticipate attacks to dodge them, as the solo attacks of the fish-folk aren't slowed down, as they live under the sea. Sebastian can have up to two sections out at a time, but not more. Each section lasts five seconds onstage before returning to the background. You cannot use the same section(s) back to back, so mix it up based on what will hurt your foe the most. The concert lasts 20 seconds before Sebastian bows again for applause, then bubbles appear over the screen, turning it back to the normal stage when they vanish.
Here are the various sea creature instrumentalists and their affects on the battle:
Section #1 - Brass
Two larger fish the size of Ike come onstage with a trumpet each, and begin playing. This causes a series of large red music notes (Kirby-sized) to fly across the screen at the speed of Meta Knight's dash. Although the fish themselves cannot be attacked, the notes have high priority before they vanish, although your better hope is to dodge. The notes don't vanish until they leave the screen, and are blown in the direction the fish are facing. They face the direction of the closest foe when playing their solo. Each note deals 20% and knocks foes horizontally with above average power. This can KO foes pretty easily if you can build damage with other solos first. About five notes are blown over the period of five seconds that the trumpeters are out. Over this time, the fish move slowly back and forth at Bowser's walk speed, not staying in place, but moving very slowly.
Section #2 - Guitar
A seal the size of Donkey Kong comes onto the stage, staying at the middle of the screen at all times. The seal holds a red and white electric guitar and begins jamming out on it, sending out a rapid series of small blue electric notes (Pikmin-sized) on either side. The notes bounce a small height up and down as they progress to the left and right at the speed of Toon Link's dash. The notes have average priority, and progress down the side of the stage if you dodge them and let them get that far. The notes deal low knockback and 9% each. This can be great for damage-building, seeing as how the notes are damaging but deal low knockback. About ten notes are let out on either side of the seal during the five seconds.
Section #3 - Flutes
A group of five small fish (Olimar-sized) come onstage, one standing on each 1/5 of the stage. They begin playing a soothing melody, causing a bar of winds to extend from their instruments and extend upwards from each flute, with musical notes heading down the winds back towards the stage. The winds extend up infinitely in a straight line, each one being about half a Stage Builder block's width. Foes on the ground hit by this are blown lightly to the side, this being useless on them. However, on aerial foes, they are pulled down the stream of winds back toward the stage with average power. The wind has no priority, doing no damage and knockback, but is perfect for pulling foes back down who are trying to dodge with a jump into the air, into another section's attack.
Section #4 - Percussion
Two Marth-sized sea turtles glide onto the stage, staying at the center of the stage. One turtle gives a silly grin and begins playing the other turtle's belly like a drum, causing yellow shockwaves to extend from the other turtle. These shockwaves have average priority and extend around the turtles with about the range of 3/5 of DK's Final Smash. Foes hit take a light 5-7% but high knockback. The shockwaves come out with the speed of DK's, and vanish just as quickly, lasting for the five second duration. Coupled with flutes, this is a great damaging combo.
Section #5 - Chorus
A blackfish the size of Mario swims onto the stage and begins swimming around rapidly back and forth, with the speed of Fox's dash. It sings a loud, rather screechy note as it goes, not having a projectile for a note, but a small little wave of sound in front of it, half the size of the light from R.O.B.'s Final Smash. Foes who hit the wave trip and take 3%, with the wave having no priority. This can be an effective combo to set foes up for another more powerful section. Choose your sections based on how you think your foes will react, and put on a good show!
Racist, much?
>~~PLAYSTLE - CONDUCTING THE FLOW OF BATTLE~~<
Sebastian is a character that takes a lot of getting used to. If you are not careful when playing him, you'll be sure to be punished quite a lot, for although Sebastian is speedy, and has fast attacks, he's one of, if not THE, lightest character in the game. Because of this, you must learn the ways Sebastian can use his moves to distance yourself from your foe, lest you become a tasty pile of crab cake.
At the start of the match, you'll want to read your opponent to be able to react properly. This is especially important, as it can determine how easily you can take control of the match. Sebastian can be an easy target to eliminate from a Brawl early, even if he is a small target, so you'll have to turn the tables on your foes to have a winning chance. A great way to do this is to use Sebastian's great jumping skills and angle a few Shell Tosses to build damage on your foes. You could risk closing in on your foe and messing with them with Fan Coral, but unless you are especially great at defense, Sebastian is much better suited keeping far away from foes when he damages them.
Sebastian has means of keeping foes away from him other than simple projectiles, however. His insane speed should be your first option for escaping attackers, but riding Scuttle away can be a nice way to get away as well. Onstage, your seagull friend can be even more helpful than off, as when Sebastian is off, it's hard to get him back on. Using Sebastian's D-Smash to counter projectiles from a range can be used as a limited form of defense, but he's better off dodging from there, as he'll probably want his shell for countering actual enemy attacks. Finally, repeated Dash Attacks can be used to slide away quickly, while creating a line of attacks in front of Sebastian as he goes. Learn to master these forms of defense, and maybe even create your own with his other moves, as it is an integral part of Sebastian's game.
While Sebastian's quick attacks are effective at building damage, a competent foe will overcome his lightweight priority and give him a hard time. Although some of Sebastian's moves can KO at higher damages, his best method of KOing opponents is by gimping them. Sebastian's jumping abilities are excellent, and his low fall speed and great recovery options mean His N-Air can do fair knockback as well as make foes floaty to increase the time they can be comboed. F-Air deals damage and can render opponents helpless at close range. B-Air can blow away foes who would barely make the stage. Aside from the ever so broken Meta Knight, Sebastian is up among the top offstage characters in the game. If you make use of this, it raises the ease with which players can win with Sebastian. They'll have a rougher time otherwise.
Attacking onstage at close range is not something you'll want to do, but if it is absolutely necessary, you'll want to be singing with your Down Special as much as you can. This powers up several of your useful music moves as long as you don't get attacked. Sebastian's small frame can make this easier done than said, but don't ever get cocky or you'll find yourself in deep trouble. Building damage is easy for Sebastian; you'll just have to find new ways to keep your foe guessing so by the time they start knocking you around, it'll be too late for them.
Overall, Sebastian needs to use his advantages for the best to make up for what he lacks. If you rely too much on using F-Smash to scoot around attacking, your foes will utterly **** you. This can be highly frustrating for noobs; Sebastian is a lightweight that takes a lot more diligence and devotion to play than Jigglypuff or even Mr. Game & Watch. However, move past this and discover the true flow Sebastian can bring to the battlefield, and you'll be able to take him far.
>~~EXTRAS~~<
>~~Extra Animations~~<
Up Taunt - Shell Drums
Sebastian takes four clamshells in front of him and plays a simple Jamaican melody on them. Nothing much, but if you are singing with your Down Special while using this taunt, small shockwaves come out, surrounding the shells. They have low priority and extend a short distance. They do 3% and low knockback, but spike like Luigi's taunt for offstage foes. Nothing useful, of course, though. You'd probably never be able to use this, ever.
Side Taunt - Dominance
Sebastian holds out his claws and tells his foes, "These whoppers ain't just for attractin' mates, you know..." He must be having a great time under the sea.
Down Taunt - Krabby Knock-Off
Sebastian takes out a familiar-looking hamburger and lets out an annoyingly familiar laugh, before his voice squeaks and Sebastian regains control, tossing away the burger carelessly.
Entrance - Crab's Carriage
A small area of ocean water opens up onstage. Out of the ocean, a miniature one-seat shell carriage, pulled by two goldfish on reins, comes to the surface. Out of the shell seating area jumps the driver, Sebastian, with a flourish, while the fish dive back under with the carriage and the watery area closes.
Victory Pose #1 - Successful Concert
Sebastian bows twice, saying, "T'ank you, t'ank you," in his Jamaican accent.
Victory Pose #2 - Parental Scold
Sebastian jabs a claw toward the losers and declares, "Hah! Dat taught you a lesson!"
Victory Pose #3 - Retired Composer
Sebastian is seen snoozing onstage on his back, snoring lightly and contentedly with a coconut beverage held in one claw.
Victory Pose - Light-Hearted Fanfare
A clip from the main melody of
Under the Sea is the victory theme for Sebastian.
Loss Pose - Humble Humiliation
Sebastian claps with his claws, with a disappointed look on his face. He'll have to work on this in the future...
>~~Kirby Hat - Kirby Krab~~<
Kirby gains two meaty red claws where his hands should be, gaining the ability to use Sebastian's Crabby Clamp. The other attacks with his fists are not changed with the claws.
>~~Codec Conversation~~<
-Press Select-
Snake: Colonel, what is this Jamaican crab doing so far from home?
Otacon: Sebastian is a renowned composer from the undersea kingdom of Atlantica.
Snake: Is he actually my opponent? Doesn't he realize that my advanced weaponry will turn him into a tasty crab cake?
Otacon: Sebastian serves as the adviser to King Triton, so he's obviously picked up several useful skills from his life of service. He's also had experience with humans before, so he'll know how to handle your advances. Don't get cocky, Snake!
Snake: I feel almost bad for him. Still, a battle is a battle. I'll do what I have to do to survive out here.
-End Transmission-
>~~Alternate Colors~~<
-Standard (Red Team)
-Blue Tint (Crayfish; Blue Team)
-Algae Crab (Green Team)
-Rocky Brown Crab
-Orange Coral Crab
-Dark Purple Tint
>~~Other~~<
Wiimote Sound - Reasoned Dreams
Sebastian says, "Get your head out of the clouds and back in the water where it belongs!"
Crowd Chant - Hometown Celebration
A crowd of Jamaican-sounding voices chant, "Sebastian! Sebastian! Yah yah yah!"
Icon - Source of Power
Sebastian's icon is King Triton's Trident, the item of power in the Little Mermaid universe.
>~~Assist Trophy - Chef Louie~~<
When Louie comes out onto the battlefield, he simply stands over a large pot of boiling water the size of Bowser, pouring various spices into it. Louie himself is as wide as Wario and as tall as Ike. He hums comically as he fixes up his recipe, while every few seconds, cooked fish food items pop out, healing characters who eat them. Foes who touch the pot take 10% fire damage and good knockback, although Louie himself does nothing to attack...yet. He stays out for 25 seconds like this before vanishing with a kissing motion at his recipe.
If he is attacked while cooking, by any move other than a projectile, he'll splash facefirst into his pot, hopping out while yelling and turning red. The pot vanishes as Louie gets a pissed look on his face and takes out a chopping ax and begins pursuing the foe who attacked him, chopping the ax madly everywhere he goes and yelling French gibberish. He runs at Mario's dashing speed for 15 seconds, unless lured offstage by the foe jumping off. The ax head is disjointed, even though Louie cannot be attacked. It deals 15% and high knockback to foes it hits, Louie swinging it about twice per second. For trapped foes, this can be particularly devastating, as it can hit them over and over again. Louie will follow any player who attacks him, only following and hurting that player, even if it is the summoner. He appears rarely, being a helpful AT, but being hard to come across.
, I can now confirm it took me longer to think of those crappy excuses for negative comments than to read the actual set, and I will now begin to comment on the good stuff, i.e the whole moveset.
?
Bravo good sir.