Who is the Fastest Fighter in Smash? No Contest – It‘s Sonic!
Ask any Super Smash Bros player who the fastest fighter is and they will undoubtedly say Sonic. With blistering mobility in the air and on the ground along with rapid attacks, Sonic fully embodies speed within the Smash roster. I‘ve mained Sonic since his addition in Brawl, so I‘m fully qualified to elaborate on why this Blue Blur is peerless when it comes to quickness in Smash.
Why Sonic‘s Speed Stands Out
Sonic‘s dash is the crux of his gameplay. With a dashing speed of 3.85, he far outstrips the second fastest dash which belongs to Captain Falcon at 2.552. But it‘s not only Sonic‘s raw max air and ground speeds that make him fast – his mobility is excellent across the board.
Complete Mobility Breakdown
Let‘s analyze Sonic‘s mobility in key areas to show why he‘s so quick in battles:
Run Speed
- Top run speed: 3.85 (1st by far)
Initial Dash
- Sonic has the fastest initial dash at 2.89. This burst from a standstill allows Sonic to zip across the stage in an instant.
Air Speed
- While not the maximum, Sonic has top tier air mobility letting him chase foes in the air.
Rolls and Dodges
- Frame data shows Sonic has some of the quickest rolls and dodges. His spot dodge lasts only 15 frames total (0.25 seconds).
Sonic has great mobility in all the key areas – ground, air, and dodging. This complete speed kit is why competent Sonic players can elegantly dance around opponents.
Speed-Focused Moveset
In addition to innate mobility, the design of Sonic‘s moveset revolves around speed:
Spin Dash
- This signature dash attack rockets Sonic forwards at high velocity doing multi-hit damage
Spin Charge
- Charges up a Static Spin Dash for release. At max charge, lets Sonic boost at insane speeds
Spring Jump
- Up special springs Sonic skyward extremely fast. It‘s vital for recovery
Many of Sonic‘s moves like Spin Dash add momentary explosions of speed and damage. And his recovery move Spring Jump gives so much vertical distance due to its velocity.
Speed Breakdown vs. Captain Falcon
To demonstrate Sonic‘s speed advantages, let‘s compare some key stats against Captain Falcon who has the second fastest ground speed.
| Stat | Sonic | Captain Falcon |
|---|---|---|
| Run Speed | 3.85 | 2.552 |
| Initial Dash | 2.89 | 1.7 |
| Air Speed | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Roll Speed | 4.2 | 3 |
As shown, Sonic outclasses Captain Falcon significantly in run speed and dashing acceleration. And while Falcon barely edges out Sonic‘s air speed, Sonic has him solidly beat in key dashing metrics that demonstrate immense ground mobility.
Utilizing Sonic‘s Speed in Competition
So Sonic is indisputably the fastest Smash fighter when it comes to mobility. But how do high-level players actually implement his speed effectively against human opposition?
Off-Stage Edge-Guarding
Sonic‘s immense air speed, acceleration, and recovery means he excels at chasing opponents horizontally off-stage to prevent them from returning. His back air and forward air moves are perfect for swatting enemies trying to make it back on stage. Top Sonic professionals aggressively use his speed to dominate the edge-guard game.
Rushing Down & Combo Extensions
After knocking an opponent upwards, Sonic can instantly run or Spin Dash underneath to continue combo strings with juggling attacks like up airs. His swift mobility is perfect for extending damage once an opening happens rather than allowing the opponent to reset neutral.
Frustrating Evasiveness
A common tactic is using Sonic‘s speed to play an evasive bait-and-punish style. His ability to quickly get in and out of range makes him frustrating to catch and hit. Once the opponent whiffs an attack, Sonic can instantly retaliate.
Through these tactics, experts use Sonic‘s unmatched mobility to aggressively control the pace of matches.
How Does Sonic‘s Smash Speed Measure Up?
We‘ve established why Sonic has commanding speed within Smash Bros. But how does his quickness compare to his appearances in other Sonic games? And how does he fare against the fastest characters from other fighting series?
Official Top Speeds from Sonic Titles
According to official Sonic lore, his top running speed clocks in at 767 mph normally. When using his Figure-8 super peel out technique in Sonic Adventure, he can supposedly hit lighting fast velocities exceeding 186,000 mph!
So while Sonic‘s Smash mobility doesn‘t scale to these ludicrous levels, logically he is still portraying superhuman speed compared to standard characters. Officially, Sonic is considered "faster than lightning" and "faster than light" in various Sonic media when using his powers fully.
Vs. Other Platform Fighter Speed Demons
Other mascot platform fighters have quick characters, but none as fast as Sonic. Let‘s compare his mobility to speedy characters from rivals Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl and Multiversus:
| Stat | Sonic (Smash) | Zim (NASB) | Flash (MultiVersus) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run Speed | 3.85 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Initial Dash | 2.89 | 1.8 | 2.1 |
As shown, Sonic has superior mobility compared to other speedsters in similar games. So not only is Sonic the fastest in his own franchise fighter, he outpaces rivals as the speed king of the entire platform fighting genre!
Closing Thoughts on Sonic‘s Speed
Through his complete mobility toolkit, speed-based attacks, and canon stats across Sonic games, it‘s indisputable that Sonic fully embodies velocity within the Super Smash Bros. roster. Top professionals leverage his fast mobility to dictate the offensive flow against opponents. And competitively, no other character can match his swiftness to overwhelm enemies.
So when selecting the fastest fighter in Smash, there‘s no need to overthink it. As the Blue Blur himself would say – Sonic‘s the name, speed‘s my game! No other Smash character lives up to that mantra nearly as well as gaming‘s iconic hyperactive hedgehog.
