The Final Smash Bros. Character: Sora!
(This was an article written by a guest writer. This article has only written by said guest writer.)
The Final Smash Bros. Character: Sora Review
By: Dewey Jones
Sora is a character from the Kingdom Hearts series and was recently added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and when I saw the reveal trailer, I was simultaneously cheering and crying when I realized that this was the final character. I understand that a lot of people believe there are better characters, but I think it is a tremendous relief to see that the final character is one of the most requested characters in multiple regions.
When I downloaded Sora, I was skeptical about whether or not I would enjoy playing him. But after playing quite a few rounds with him, I not only understood how to play him, I also enjoyed playing him!
I’ve heard a few people call Sora “overpowered” and while yes, it is hard to deal with him sometimes, if you know how his movement works, you can pretty easily tell where he’ll go. That being said, many of his moves can be used in several different ways.
His side special, Sonic Blade, is a damaging vertical dash leading into 2 other directable dashes. This is an excellent move for approaching your opponent, or simply finishing a combo with 3 solid hits. Also, if you go into the air you can use this move right after, making it an excellent and reliable option for using after falling horizontally and vertically.
His neutral special, Magic, is actually 3 different projectile attacks that cycle through every time you use them. Firaga is the first projectile and it’s a simple fire blast that goes forwards, it can be repeated by pressing the button multiple times. The next projectile, Thundaga, is 3 vertical lightning strikes, each one coming right after the other. This attack is extremely useful for edgeguarding your opponent, or simply launching them away from you and off-stage. The final Magic attack is Blizzaga, where Sora shoots a small flurry of ice attacks that have a high amount of damage.
The moves I find myself using most often are his 4 auto-combos, his neutral attack, forward tilt, neutral aerial, and forward aerial attacks. They give him extremely good short range protection, and his aerials can fit anywhere in a combo.
Sora is an extremely light fighter, so while he is easy to launch, he’s also very easy to maneuver around most stages. Combining his maneuverability with his aerial auto-combos and projectiles makes him a threat to most heavy characters.
Overall, I feel Sora was a great addition to Smash. He’s a powerful character and a fan favorite. Some people might be hesitant about playing him, but give him a chance and I’ll bet you’ll have some good matches and some fun wins. Tell me some games I should review in the comments, thanks for reading!
Consuelo Carlson ¦ Dec 16, 2021 at 9:29 pm
I love kingdom hearts. Noice.
– Suelo
Zoe Macdonald ¦ Nov 22, 2021 at 4:36 pm
It is so awesome to see you as a guest writer! Loved the article
Dewey J ¦ Nov 29, 2021 at 9:35 am
glad to be here!
Finn DS ¦ Nov 22, 2021 at 4:32 pm
I do like Sora’s cohesive playstyle. Where you could play him like a hit and run character or a heavy combo character. But fighting him is like trying to swat a fly with a lethal stinger on its rear. His recovery is almost impossible to punish due to the unpredictability of his side-special and the huge hitbox on his up-special. The developers did a great job keeping a balance for Sora: Theoretically being able to swiftly KO him due to his light weight (17th lightest character out of, what, 90?), but his amazing recovery, tiny body, and slippery movement make him last much longer than most characters his weight. Sora’s smooth adaptations to matchups is a nightmare for heavies and characters who rely on their tools to rush down their opponents, as well as others.
Are you a zoner character who uses their projectiles to get out of slippery situations and make distance? Sora can easily cover this distance with most of his moves.
Do you bait your opponents and punish their bad options with big attacks in a fight? Too bad. Most characters who have this “bait and punish” playstyle are balanced with very slow attacks and movement options, meaning that the only moves that Sora could be punished with is his side-b, which can easily be shielded.
Are you a character who loves to get up in your opponent’s face and perform big, flashy combos? It’s more likely Sora himself will combo you, and managing to hit back is a pain.
With his great moveset and adaptation skills, Sora is easily high-tier. Whether he is top-tier is a longer debate.
In my opinion, Sora is an annoying character with most people I know going on a campier playstyle with him (It’s much easier than learning and mastering his combos). I don’t find him much fun to play, either. I haven’t played him much, though, so I think giving him another chance would be a good idea.