Shulk

Shulk (シュルク Shuruku) is the main protagonist of Xenoblade Chronicles appearing as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. He was officially confirmed on August 29th, 2014, during a Nintendo 3DS Direct. Shulk wields the Monado, an ancient sword that gives him various special abilities. His moveset revolves around the sword, attacking with beams that come from it and using its arts to power himself up; he can also use it to see the future. His special moves are Monado Arts, a series of Auras that give Shulk stat boosts, Back Slash, a leaping slash that deals extra damage if it hits an enemy's rear, Air Slash, which lets Shulk rise into the air as he slashes upward, and Vision, a counter that negates all damage and deals increased damage in return. His Final Smash is Chain Attack, where he calls on Riki and Dunban to help him slash his opponent(s).

Trophies
Blue indicates exclusive to the Wii U version.

Palutena's Guidance

 * Pit: I don't think I've seen that guy around.
 * Palutena: That's Shulk. He's 18 years old and clocks in at 5 feet 6 inches.
 * Pit: That's a pretty fancy sword he's got.
 * Palutena: That's the Monado, the sword that defeated the Mechonis.
 * Pit: Makes us look like a buncha jokers.
 * Palutena: The Monado can change Shulk's strengths and weaknesses. For example, it might increase his jumping ability while decreasing his defense.
 * Pit: So for every strength he gains, he also gains a weakness.
 * Palutena: Yes, and Shulk can KO opponents easier when they've sustained more damage. But if you know his weakness, he's not too difficult to deal with.
 * Pit: Let's not lose our heads, though!

Trivia

 * Months before Shulk's official reveal, his English voice actor, Adam Howden, stated on Twitter that he was doing voiceover work for a game, but couldn't reveal what it was at the time.
 * Metal Face, the stage boss of Gaur Plain, will utter special quotes if Shulk is among the fighters.
 * Two of Shulk's Monado Arts, Monado Jump and Monado Smash, never actually appeared in Xenoblade Chronicles and were specifically conceived for Smash.
 * His Monado Arts also perform much differently than they do in Xenoblade Chronicles. For instance, Speed allows Shulk to dodge all physical attacks as opposed to increasing his running speed, Buster is an actual attack and not a buff, and Shield guards against enemy Talent Arts instead of decreasing knockback.
 * If Shulk's down taunt is used at the right time, it can avoid an attack.
 * When Shulk activates his counter, Vision, tilting forward, as soon as the counter animation starts, will make Shulk dash forward and slash through the opponent. This will launch the opponent behind them with greater strength than the regular vision.
 * This variation has less range and can only be used on the ground.
 * This variation looks like another one of Shulk's arts in Xenoblade Chronicles called Stream Edge.
 * If any Monado Art is active while Shulk is using his Final Smash, the Art will do its exact effects. For example, Buster will deal more damage than the regular Final Smash, but will not launch opponents as far.
 * In Super Mario Maker, Shulk is the only character whose Mystery Mushroom costume speaks Japanese in all regions of the game.