Planet-Neptune
Smash Rookie
Haven't seen much discussion on Sora's specific matchups anywhere yet, so I feel like this is a good place to start.
is a unique swordfighter that possesses strong aerial mobility and combo potential.
Unlike most other characters, Sora will usually be in the air fishing for kill confirms and combos through his Nair and Fair. In addition to those moves, his Bair, Uair, and Dair can lead to kills earlier than expected. Sora is also one of the strongest characters offstage, as his unique jump similar to / and , his powerful and far-reaching Up-B, and the three bursts of movement he gets from his Side-B can all be used to edgeguard and easily get back on the stage.
While Sora personally prefers the air, his ability to fight on the ground isn't too shabby.
Starting with his normals, his jab and F-Tilt are Like his Nair and Fair, as they both lead into three hit combos with a good amount of knockback. His U-Tilt is in the same vein as, as it is a multi-hitting anti-air that has wide range and high kill power. His D-Tilt is one of his most powerful grounded options, as it's a simple combo starter that can lead into many of his aerials. D-Tilt to U-Air in particular is a potent and easy combo that can be used if the opponent doesn't react correctly. Sora also sports one of the best dash attacks in the game due to its significant distance and knockback.
Sora's smash attacks are serviceable. His forward smash is a highly committal but effective kill move that can even negate projectiles. Up smash, one of the strongest in the game, is a deceptively large and powerful move that can serve as an anti-air. Lastly, Sora's downsmash, akin to , , and , can be used to catch opponents off guard at the ledge, as it has the ability to two-frame and makes Sora completely invincible until he's at the apex of his jump.
In addition to his other grounded options, Sora has great grabs at his disposal, meaning he will go for grabs more often than other characters. Sora has one of the fastest grabs in the game, a hard-hitting pummel, and multiple kill throws. Forward throw is primarily used for getting opponents off the stage, but can be used as a kill throw at high percentages. Up Throw is similarly powerful and can be used for juggling and/or aerial combos. Back throw, Sora's main kill throw, can kill around the same time as's . Finally, there's Sora's down throw. While it doesn't have the same kill potential as his other throws, it can be used for juggling and aerial combos like his up throw.
Sora's moveset is not just made up of keyblade swipes however, as he packs some versatile special moves.
His most elaborate special move is his neutral special, Magic. Magic cycles between a set order of Firaga, Thundaga and Blizzaga, with Sora being unable to choose which one he wants in any specific situation. Firaga launches fireballs that can be used to force approaches and deal shield pressure. Firaga can be used like 's Breegull Blaster in that Sora can shoot as many fireballs as he pleases, though he is unable to move while doing so. Thundaga drops three lightning bolts that combo into each other, with the last thunderbolt having more kill power than the others. Thundaga is a powerful spell, as it is the only one that can effectively kill opponents. Lastly, Blizzaga, a move that is comparable to 's down special, freezes the opponent and allows for strong punishes.
Sora's side special, Sonic Blade, allows Sora to recover back on stage and chase opponents in a similar fashion to . Sora can charge forward up to three times if the B button is held. When Sora is near an opponent, he will home in on them and charge towards them, racking up a good amount of damage. This is used most effectively if the opponent is in the air, as if the opponent shields through his attacks, Sora will be left open for punishes. Additionally, if Sora is unable to get back on stage, he will be left helpless and fall to his doom.
Sora's up special, Aerial Sweep, also serves as a recovery move, but is notable for being a very strong out of shield option and combo finisher like and his counterparts. Unlike the three Links however, Sora will always rise upwards when performing this move, even if he does it out of shield. The move also only hits in front of Sora on startup Furthermore, it will not leave Sora helpless if he immediately uses Sonic Blade once the move is finished, which can be used for both recovery and damage purposes.
Like many swordfighters, Sora's Down Special has him use his blade to counter oncoming attacks. However, unlike any other counter in the game, Sora will stun opponents that hit him in this state and unleash a powerful counterattack. Along with this, his counter features reflective properties, though he will only reflect projectiles backward rather than forward.
Despite all this, Sora's attributes cause him to have notable weaknesses.
Naturally a lightweight, Sora is extremely floaty. His weight of 88 (tied with ) and slow fall speed (just above ) make him very susceptible to early vertical KOs, and he must be very careful to not be intercepted while in the air due to his jump leaving him wide open. His frame data is below average, making it hard for him to escape many combos.
In addition, Sora is slow in the air and on the ground. Sora's aforementioned fall speed in relation to his slow air speed makes Sora potentially vulnerable above the ground. Sora is unable to compensate for this either, as his walk is the tenth slowest in the game and he has mediocre running speed (on par with ). His sluggish stats make it difficult for Sora to approach his opponents or deal with camping.
Sora's Keyblade leaves something to be desired, as it lacks the range that many other swordfighters have. This results in Sora having issues with spacing, which can lead to hard punishes if done improperly. Sora needs to get in closer to shields due to this, which is already an issue because of his reliance on aerials. In addition, his grab is extremely short ranged, being on par with Pikachu's. While quick, it makes grabbing a possibly unsafe option.
All of Sora's specials leave him vulnerable, as it will take him a long time to finish the move. This is especially noticeable when he uses Magic, as he can't move until the move is completed. If the opponent were to get behind Sora, he would have very few options to defend himself. Sonic Blade, as explained earlier, leaves Sora wide open if he misses or hits the opponent's shield. Aerial Sweep, while strong, will keep Sora in the air for a long time because of his slow fall speed. This is usually alleviated by activating his side special, but this is not always a safe option due to the move's lag. Finally, his counter shares the issue that most counters in Ultimate share, that being the risk outweighing the reward. Sora's counter is stronger than most due to it stunning any opponent that hits him directly. If Sora misses however, he is left in a vulnerable state. Similar to , his counter also doesn't protect him from behind.
As stated before, Sora has almost no way to protect himself from behind if left vulnerable. While his down smash is quick, it can be punished easily if it misses. His bair is strong, but has very sluggish frame data overall, making it ineffective as a "get off me" move. The same applies to Sora's nair.
Overall, Sora has serious issues protecting himself, mainly relying on his Up B out of shield as a reward for defending. If Sora's shield is hit from behind though, he has almost offensive options to counter with. Many of Sora's moves are committal and laggy, giving little time for him to use any defensive options before most opponents can punish him if he whiffs. Sora has to be ultra careful with missing any of his moves, and must adopt a patient playstyle to keep himself protected.
Sora brings a creative and patient playstyle to the game.
Overall, Sora is similar to due to his low weight, strong air game, and lackluster range. Like Jigglypuff, he needs to be careful and patient, looking for opportunities to punish his opponent rather than charging towards them at will. This brings extreme benefits, such as a godlike ability to edgeguard much of the cast. But it also brings severe weaknesses, like being very vulnerable if he whiffs an attack.
Feel free to discuss and debate over Sora's potentially weak and strong matchups with other characters!
is a unique swordfighter that possesses strong aerial mobility and combo potential.
Unlike most other characters, Sora will usually be in the air fishing for kill confirms and combos through his Nair and Fair. In addition to those moves, his Bair, Uair, and Dair can lead to kills earlier than expected. Sora is also one of the strongest characters offstage, as his unique jump similar to
/ and , his powerful and far-reaching Up-B, and the three bursts of movement he gets from his Side-B can all be used to edgeguard and easily get back on the stage.While Sora personally prefers the air, his ability to fight on the ground isn't too shabby.
Starting with his normals, his jab and F-Tilt are Like his Nair and Fair, as they both lead into three hit combos with a good amount of knockback. His U-Tilt is in the same vein as
, as it is a multi-hitting anti-air that has wide range and high kill power. His D-Tilt is one of his most powerful grounded options, as it's a simple combo starter that can lead into many of his aerials. D-Tilt to U-Air in particular is a potent and easy combo that can be used if the opponent doesn't react correctly. Sora also sports one of the best dash attacks in the game due to its significant distance and knockback.Sora's smash attacks are serviceable. His forward smash is a highly committal but effective kill move that can even negate projectiles. Up smash, one of the strongest in the game, is a deceptively large and powerful move that can serve as an anti-air. Lastly, Sora's downsmash, akin to
, , and , can be used to catch opponents off guard at the ledge, as it has the ability to two-frame and makes Sora completely invincible until he's at the apex of his jump.In addition to his other grounded options, Sora has great grabs at his disposal, meaning he will go for grabs more often than other characters. Sora has one of the fastest grabs in the game, a hard-hitting pummel, and multiple kill throws. Forward throw is primarily used for getting opponents off the stage, but can be used as a kill throw at high percentages. Up Throw is similarly powerful and can be used for juggling and/or aerial combos. Back throw, Sora's main kill throw, can kill around the same time as
's . Finally, there's Sora's down throw. While it doesn't have the same kill potential as his other throws, it can be used for juggling and aerial combos like his up throw.Sora's moveset is not just made up of keyblade swipes however, as he packs some versatile special moves.
His most elaborate special move is his neutral special, Magic. Magic cycles between a set order of Firaga, Thundaga and Blizzaga, with Sora being unable to choose which one he wants in any specific situation. Firaga launches fireballs that can be used to force approaches and deal shield pressure. Firaga can be used like
's Breegull Blaster in that Sora can shoot as many fireballs as he pleases, though he is unable to move while doing so. Thundaga drops three lightning bolts that combo into each other, with the last thunderbolt having more kill power than the others. Thundaga is a powerful spell, as it is the only one that can effectively kill opponents. Lastly, Blizzaga, a move that is comparable to 's down special, freezes the opponent and allows for strong punishes.Sora's side special, Sonic Blade, allows Sora to recover back on stage and chase opponents in a similar fashion to
. Sora can charge forward up to three times if the B button is held. When Sora is near an opponent, he will home in on them and charge towards them, racking up a good amount of damage. This is used most effectively if the opponent is in the air, as if the opponent shields through his attacks, Sora will be left open for punishes. Additionally, if Sora is unable to get back on stage, he will be left helpless and fall to his doom.Sora's up special, Aerial Sweep, also serves as a recovery move, but is notable for being a very strong out of shield option and combo finisher like
and his counterparts. Unlike the three Links however, Sora will always rise upwards when performing this move, even if he does it out of shield. The move also only hits in front of Sora on startup Furthermore, it will not leave Sora helpless if he immediately uses Sonic Blade once the move is finished, which can be used for both recovery and damage purposes.Like many swordfighters, Sora's Down Special has him use his blade to counter oncoming attacks. However, unlike any other counter in the game, Sora will stun opponents that hit him in this state and unleash a powerful counterattack. Along with this, his counter features reflective properties, though he will only reflect projectiles backward rather than forward.
Despite all this, Sora's attributes cause him to have notable weaknesses.
Naturally a lightweight, Sora is extremely floaty. His weight of 88 (tied with
) and slow fall speed (just above ) make him very susceptible to early vertical KOs, and he must be very careful to not be intercepted while in the air due to his jump leaving him wide open. His frame data is below average, making it hard for him to escape many combos.In addition, Sora is slow in the air and on the ground. Sora's aforementioned fall speed in relation to his slow air speed makes Sora potentially vulnerable above the ground. Sora is unable to compensate for this either, as his walk is the tenth slowest in the game and he has mediocre running speed (on par with
). His sluggish stats make it difficult for Sora to approach his opponents or deal with camping.Sora's Keyblade leaves something to be desired, as it lacks the range that many other swordfighters have. This results in Sora having issues with spacing, which can lead to hard punishes if done improperly. Sora needs to get in closer to shields due to this, which is already an issue because of his reliance on aerials. In addition, his grab is extremely short ranged, being on par with Pikachu's. While quick, it makes grabbing a possibly unsafe option.
All of Sora's specials leave him vulnerable, as it will take him a long time to finish the move. This is especially noticeable when he uses Magic, as he can't move until the move is completed. If the opponent were to get behind Sora, he would have very few options to defend himself. Sonic Blade, as explained earlier, leaves Sora wide open if he misses or hits the opponent's shield. Aerial Sweep, while strong, will keep Sora in the air for a long time because of his slow fall speed. This is usually alleviated by activating his side special, but this is not always a safe option due to the move's lag. Finally, his counter shares the issue that most counters in Ultimate share, that being the risk outweighing the reward. Sora's counter is stronger than most due to it stunning any opponent that hits him directly. If Sora misses however, he is left in a vulnerable state. Similar to
, his counter also doesn't protect him from behind.As stated before, Sora has almost no way to protect himself from behind if left vulnerable. While his down smash is quick, it can be punished easily if it misses. His bair is strong, but has very sluggish frame data overall, making it ineffective as a "get off me" move. The same applies to Sora's nair.
Overall, Sora has serious issues protecting himself, mainly relying on his Up B out of shield as a reward for defending. If Sora's shield is hit from behind though, he has almost offensive options to counter with. Many of Sora's moves are committal and laggy, giving little time for him to use any defensive options before most opponents can punish him if he whiffs. Sora has to be ultra careful with missing any of his moves, and must adopt a patient playstyle to keep himself protected.
Sora brings a creative and patient playstyle to the game.
Overall, Sora is similar to
due to his low weight, strong air game, and lackluster range. Like Jigglypuff, he needs to be careful and patient, looking for opportunities to punish his opponent rather than charging towards them at will. This brings extreme benefits, such as a godlike ability to edgeguard much of the cast. But it also brings severe weaknesses, like being very vulnerable if he whiffs an attack.Feel free to discuss and debate over Sora's potentially weak and strong matchups with other characters!
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