ARMS Marathon | NINJARA SNEAKS INTO BATTLE!

Greetings, Gunvolt Gang!

Azure here again with the second day of the #ARMSMarathon! Yesterday was Caden with Ribbon Girl, and it seems I'm next in line on the ARMS Character Select Screen. Now then, let's see who my choice was, shall we? The ARMS character I will be bringing to the table is... the Student of Stealth, Ninjara! Now then, time to take a look at Ninjara's moveset. Let's kick things off with something all new fighters need: a reveal trailer!

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《Reveal Trailer》

In the Dark realm, Sheik is fighting off Puppets with relative ease thanks to her speed and stealth. A figure is lurking in the shadows, almost completely invisible. 2 Dharkon Puppets begin to close in. Greninja could react quickly to her attacks, and if Lucario was hit it only made him stronger with Aura. Sheik prepares to retreat, but a voice says "Hold it." as it emerges from thin air. Ninjara hits both Lucario and Greninja from a great distance thanks to his chain arms, and his splash card appears on screen:

NINJARA SNEAKS INTO BATTLE!

Ninjara is a speedy, lightweight fighter with very strong range thanks to his extending chain arms. However if he misses these long range attacks he's vunerable. Ninjara has some trouble with KOing opponents, but there are ways to work around this. Only those who can work around this and use Ninjara's speed and unique strengths have truly mastered this character!

:black_small_square: Running Speed: 1.929 :black_small_square:

:black_small_square: Air Speed: 1.256 :black_small_square:

:black_small_square: Fall Speed: 2.2 :black_small_square:

:black_small_square: Weight Value: 80 :black_small_square:

:black_small_square: Boxing Ring Title: Student Of Stealth :black_small_square:

Ninjara's alternate costumes are based on his own in ARMS. But since he only has 3 of those there, half of his costume slots need to be filled. Here they are:

:black_small_square: Default Costume- Regular Colours :black_small_square:

:black_small_square: Second Costume- Red Costune :black_small_square:

:black_small_square: Third Costume- Green/Orange Costume :black_small_square:

:black_small_square: Fourth Costume- Pink Costume :black_small_square:

:black_small_square: Fifth Costume- Springman Colours :black_small_square:

:black_small_square: Sixth Costume- Max Brass Colours :black_small_square:

:black_small_square: Seventh Costume- Master Mummy Colours :black_small_square:

:black_small_square: Eighth Costume- Black Colour Palette :black_small_square:

I chose Springman and Max Brass since one is the mascot of the game, and the other is the actual Champion of the ARMS tournament. Master Mummy was chosen for the 7th alt because the white contrasts well with his 8th alt, and Kid Cobra's primarily purple design have looked a bit similar to his existing purple alt. His eighth costume has no origin within ARMS, it is simply based on traditional Ninja black clothing. The character used in the image is Ryu Hayabusa.

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《Neutral Attacks》

Move aside Greninja and Sheik, there's a new Ninja in town! Let's see what Ninjara can do for his Neutral Attacks!

:black_small_square: Jabs and Tilts :black_small_square:

For Ninjaras's Jab he punches forward with the Buff arm (a boxing glove). He doesn't extend his arms, so it's a quick punch. If you don't hit the opponent, you can hold A to repeatedly punch until you do hit something (like many other jabs). When you hit the opponent, he'll punch with his other hand finish with a kick, which animation wise is like Ken's Focus Attack. This attack is a quick "get off me" option, and can set up for tech chases or other quick combos.

For Dash Attack, Ninjara spins his signature Chakram around himself, functioning as a multi-hit very similar to the Belmont's Dash Attack. However, it is visually distinct.

Ledge Attack is a fast, low leg sweep that covers good distance and does its job of keeping opponents at bay well. For his Get-Up attack, he punches low on both sides with the Buff arm.

Forward Tilt is a fast hook punch with the Buff glove. It launches opponents forward and slightly up, so you can quickly follow through with either a Dash Attack to catch their landing, or a Forward Air whilst they're still airborne.

Down Tilt is the Triblast, the last of Ninjara's standard Arms set (Buff, Chakram and now Triblast). Ninjara will fire it straight at the ground, launching opponents up. This move deals fire damage (the closest there is in Smash to the explosive attribute the Triblast has in ARMS).

For his Up Tilt Ninjara pulls out a new Arm, the Boomerang. This is famously used by Springman in his base moveset. But since in ARMS any character can use any arm, so Ninjara has no problem using it. He holds his arm up slightly and the Boomerang spins, dealing 2 hits to the opponent.

:black_small_square: Aerial Attacks :black_small_square:

For his Neutral Air, Ninjara puts one leg forward (imagine Link's) while bending an arm behind him. This doesn't act as a dual hit like say Marth, but more like a constant aerial that can be used for landing and gimping opponents.

Unfortunately Ninjara does not have the funny #ForwardAerial... is what I'd say if I was stupid! Ninjara slams both his fists (Buff gloves equipped) at the opponent diagonally, spiking them to the depths of hell. This is based on the 2nd part of Ninjara's Throw Attack in ARMS.

Back Air is the Funchuk, a lime-green Nunchuck arm. Ninjara will extend his chain-arm back (far from fully, but you definitely can tell) and spin the funchuk. The Funchuk will spin before returning to Ninjara. It is not a multi-hit attack. Since he extends his arm a bit, this move has a chunk of end lag you'll have to deal with, so be careful how you use it. However, if you use the move on an opponent directly behind you (and the Funchuk hits them without the arm extending a lot), you'll end up decreasing your endlag since it won't need to travel as far to return back to Ninjara.

Ninjara's Down Air is a punch down with the Buff Glove. It has long range for a Down Air since he extends his arm, but the risk factor of Back Air still applies. This attack will spike at the sweetspot. Top 10 Dairs when doe.

Ninjara's Up Air has him match with the fellow Ninjas in Smash- and Joker I suppose. Ninjara will flip over and do a tornado-like kick that hits multiple times. It's fast and a useful juggling and combo tool, so it's definitely an important part of Ninjara's kit.

:black_small_square: Smash Attacks :black_small_square:

Forward Smash is where Ninjara's range really shows. After charging up, Ninjara releases a strong, straight punch with the Buff arm and almost fully extends his arm. This reaches close to halfway across the stage, outranging the infamous Vampire Killer and Areadbhar. You're in a similar situation to Back Air- so that you have less endlag the closer you are to your opponent, assuming you hit them of course. This promotes a more up close playstyle so Ninjara doesn't just become a lame spammy character. Of course the same risk of grabs applies here too, if you miss then the endlag will be your doom, so you'll have to think carefully.

For Up Smash, Ninjara quickly spins the Chakram above him like a wheel, hitting opponents multiple times before they're sent blasting off again. This is a generally safer move than Forward Smash, however it does minimal shield damage.

Down Smash is the Megaton. Ninjara holds 2 Megaton arms in the air and when you release the charge, he slams them down on both sides with large power and knockback. But power always comes with a price, as the move is very slow and has a lot of end lag. Not very ninja-like, but sometimes you have to be a jack of all trades, don't you?

:black_small_square: Grab and Throws :black_small_square:

Ninjara has some serious grab range. He fully extends both arms to grab an opponent. If used in midair it can latch on to edges but won't go as far (for balance). This is a dangerous grab though, as if you whiff it, you're more punishable then ever. But the reward is worth it. His pummel has him knee the opponent like many others do.

Ninjara's Forward Throw is from the first part of his standard throw attack (which we saw in the Forward Air earlier). Ninjara will throw the opponent slightly into the air and quickly disappear and reappear with Ninja Warp, only to kickflip and launch the opponent forward.

The second part of his standard throw is used again in the Down Throw though, as he throws the opponent up, jumps up to them and slams them into the ground with 2 Buff gloves. This is actually a spike, but that doesn't really matter since you can't use it to send opponents down to the bottom blast zone (since it's well, a throw).

Ninjara's Up Throw is the return of the Chakram. This time he spins it around him (similar to Joker's Up Tilt but it's still attached to Ninjara) which after dealing multi-hit damage, sends opponents straight up, a great way to start some juggle combos with Up Air.

Back Throw is Ninjara's Throw in the basketball minigame Hoops. He turns around and yeets the opponent into the hoop, but this time there isn't one for them to go through. This attack doesn't spike at first, but once you're opponent is past say- 80% or so- it will begin to Meteor and the Spike will only get stronger from there. Before 80%, the opponent is sent simply backwards (like a normal Back Throw would) and the animation is different between the spike and non-spike versions so this makes sense.

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《Special Attacks》

:black_small_square: Neutral Special- Long Punch/Rush Attack :black_small_square:

For his Neutral Special, Ninjara will punch forward, extending his arm fully. Unlike his forward smash, this move can be angled as it heads toward the opponent, however the same distance and risk/reward factors still apply, and it's especially dangerous this time. This special has more range, but more ending lag, not to mention that the move is slow already. If you hit the arm before it hits you, you'll knock it on the ground and Ninjara will be unable to act for a few seconds before he can finally pull it back. The defending move has to do at least 18% in order to knock down the arm though, and if you can't react in time to do that, you're toast. You also saw how this special attack has 2 names, right? Well that comes down to Ninjara's Rush Gauge which will fill up over time. Once full, pressing B will unleash a Rush Attack, but it's not that simple. Once you initiate the rush with the starting hit, you have to mash the A or B button in order to fully capitalise from this devastating attack. The starting hit is almost like a command grab, locking you in place for the 5 seconds Ninjara has to punch with all his might!

:black_small_square: Side Special- Chakram :black_small_square:

Ninjara will push one arm forward with a lot of range with the Chakram equipped. After hitting an opponent, you can press the button again to keep the Chakram spinning in place as a Multi Hit, like a rapid jab except from a distance. However naturally it'll take time to cancel out of it, so be mindful. Much like his Back Air, Forward Smash and Neutral Special, this move can have less endlag if you use it up close, lightening the risk but you won't have the range advantage. This punishes people who try to just keep hitting from a distance to get an easy win.

:black_small_square: Up Special- Ninja Warp :black_small_square:

Much like many other teleport style recovery moves, Ninjara will disappear using his Ninja Warp ability and reappear in the direction of your choice. It can be used to evade attacks in midair, but its main goal is to recover. With that said though, this attack has a different function on the ground. Ninjara will put up a Block for a very short period, a transparent shield and a key part of ARMS gameplay for any fighter. If anybody hits this it functions like a counter, as Ninjara will vanish into thin air and reappear behind the opponent, dealing a powerful kick.

:black_small_square: Down Special- Triblast/Fire Bomb :black_small_square:

Ninjara will fire the Triblast forward. If it hits an opponent, it'll cause an explosion which at low percents will trip opponents. With the heavy endlag, this isn't always the best idea unless you were to use it up close. At high percents the explosion will be stronger and deal knockback instead, but if Ninjara is at 100% or higher the move will change to the Fire Bomb, an item in ARMS. Ninjara will kick the ball at the opponent and it will explode dealing more explosive fire damage than the Triblast. But be careful, as this can be reflected back at you if you aren't careful!

:black_small_square: FINAL SMASH- NINJA COLLEGE STRIKE :black_small_square:

Ninjara slams his Chakram forward to start a cinematic. The range of this is about the same as Byleth's Final Smash activation hit. Once it, the opponent is brutally kicked down the many stairs at the Ninja college alongisde a Fire Bomb. After tumbling down the stairs, they stand up, dizzy as if in a Shield Break. Ninjara says "You're weak." as the Fire Bomb explodes and Ninjara quickly appears when the opponent is launched into midair by the bomb. Ninjara finishes the Final Smash with a powerful Chakram Uppercut straight after the explosion. If this KO ends the match, the ARMS announcer will yell "KO!" as text appears on screen- the cinematic then transitions into Ninjara's victory screen. I'd say it's quite impressive he can combo out of an explosion, no?

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《Stage And Music》

Ninjara's stage would have to be the Ninja College, since it is his home stage after all. While the college did appear in his Final Smash, I don't see this as a big issue- as other Final Smashes do the same thing. Incineroar's takes place on another series' stage after all. Ninja College in ARMS is just kind of a big staircase. But we can't just let that slide in Smash. Np, that just won't do. The large staircase style is something new to Smash, but outside of its shape, it needs more substance to it to make it a proper Smash stage. In of music, Ninjara only has one theme for himself in the Ninja College stage theme. But there are other general ARMS songs that would work on the stage, though I'll leave out the other character specific ones. Here's the full list of songs that I decided to include for Ninjara:

Ninja College Theme

Grand Prix (Main Theme)

Fighter Select

V-Ball

Skillshot

Hoops

Get ARMS

Party Crash (Menu/Lobby Mix)

Now for the main parts of the Stage itself. I did say it needed more substance. First off, the statues at the top of the stairs can be broken, revealing a hidden and often useful item inside. But be careful, if you try break these statues, a ninja from the college will appear and defend it. These guys are tough and fast Us, but KOing them will give you a point, and the reward in the statue is often worth it. Items that are more likely to appear if they are turned on are things like Assist Trophies, Pokéballs and Master Balls, Killing Edges or Home Run Bats. Next up, natural hazards. These will always affect the match, unlike the statues which are more optional. Thanks to KarMa for this idea: sometimes Chakrams will fly across the stage. One will be going diagonally down, and the other diagonally up. These are quick and deal about 10% each, so they aren't too deadly unless they were to catch you off guard in Stamina or you were too close to the side blast zone. Wait a minute, there isn't one! You see, in ARMS, matches are purely stamina based, so you can't knock opponents out of the arena. Ninja College will have the King Of Fighters Stadium wall gimmick, where there are invisible walls that you can break through in order to KO opponents. But just stealing another stage's gimmick isn't right, so we have to put our own twist on it. So an idea I had is that instead of smashing through the invisible walls, a pair of extended arms will grab the opponent and throw them offscreen. This still counts as your KO of course. These arms are from the other of the cast. While they don't appear as guest characters, they do play this role at least. The arms that come out are random, and it doesn't matter which fighters' arms appear, gameplay-wise it's all the same. Spring Man cannot appear as an Assist Trophy on this stage as he is one of the 14 characters whose arms appear, kind of like how Knuckles' Assist can't appear on Green Hill Zone because of his background appearance.

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《Classic Mode》

Ninjara's Classic Mode is called "All About Stealth!" where he goes through characters known for sneaking around or being stealthy in general. Not the Grand Prix that Ninjara is used to, but a student of stealth has to prove their worth! All of these fights are Stamina Battles with 150HP, to replicate the HP-Based gameplay of ARMS.

Fight 1: PAC-Man

First up is PAC-Man, who's known for sneaking past ghosts to gobble up those pellets. This one was a bit of a stretch, but when you have to have 6 fighters, there's not much of a choice in the matter. This fight takes place on Ninja College with Hazards Off. The song playing is Ninja College.

Fight 2: Mr Game and Watch

It's easy to go undetected when you're flatter than paper, and you can blend into the night! To suit this, the battle with Mr Game and Watch will take place on Balloon Fight (Omega Form)- a stage with a mostly pitch black backdrop! The song playing is Party Crash (Lobby/Menu Mix).

Fight 3: Meta Knight

Meta Knight can disappear quickly with his dimensional cape, not to mention that speed and mask makes it hard to be identified. This takes place on Meta Knight's home stage, the Halberd, with V-Ball playing.

Fight 4: Joker/Mii Swordfighter

If Cuphead's Spirit Battle can change if you have the DLC, then so can this. If you have Joker, he will be your opponent on his home stage Mementos, Last Surprise playing as Joker is known for sneaking around and then ambushing shadows, this being the battle theme for most shadows. However if you don't own Joker, a Mii Swordfighter will take his place, wearing both the Ninja Headband and Outfit. The fight will instead take place on Street Quest (Find Mii for you Americans) and Get ARMS will play.

Fight 5: Snake

Snake is the only fighter in Smash to actually come from a stealth based game. Naturally he's going to be one of the final pillars of Ninjara's stealthy trials. The fight will take place on Shadow Moses Island with Skillshot playing.

Fight 6: Greninja

The next fight is against a fellow ninja, Greninja! Greninja even uses stealth moves in Smash, such as Shadow Sneak or disappearing before using the counter of Substitute. The battle takes place on Kalos Pokémon League, hazards off. The song playing is Hoops.

BOSS: Sheik

Like other characters such as Terry, Ninjara doesn't have a traditional classic mode boss. Instead, it's time for Ninja graduation. That's right, of course the final battle is the original ninja in Smash Bros, Sheik herself! The HP counter will be set to 200HP for Sheik, while Ninjara still only has 150. We return to the Ninja College, where Hazards are still turned off. Grand Prix will play in the ultimate ninja showdown. The song that will play during the Classic Mode credits is the Ninja College Theme, and his picture after the credits is him, Greninja and Sheik on Ninja College.

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《Taunts And Victory Animations》

Before we end this post, let's look at Ninjara's Taunts and Victory screens. These aren't things I normally do with a moveset unless there's enough source material to make these from (as I don't like making them up) but since more people in the ARMS Marathon are doing it, I may as well add them. Let's start out with the Taunts:

His Up Taunt is based on his round-win animation in ARMS. He will do a backflip and then hold one arm up to his shoulder. He will have 2 Buff gloves equipped.

Side Taunt has him equip 2 Chakrams and spin them around in place. This is based on the Chakram's animation when you charge them in ARMS.

And finally, Down Taunt has Ninjara disappear with Ninja Warp, only to quickly reappear and raise his arm up. The way he holds his arm is based on his character select screen animation when you select him in ARMS.

Now for the victory animations. Only one of these is made up, since every ARMS character has 2 victory screens for when they win a match in their home game anyway. how I mentioned Ninjara's Final Smash can transition into the Victory Screen if it lands the final blow of the match? I should probably mention that it's still random which screen you get, not a special one like Joker's.

Let's get the made up one out of the way. Ninjara's first animation has him break through a target that's blocking the screen, before posing for the camera with his Chakrams.

His second is of course one of his ARMS victory screens. In the air, several Ninja Warp clouds appear one at a time before Ninjara finally appears, his face close to the screen.

And finally, his third victory animation has him drop down from offscreen and stand away from the camera, while still looking behind. This is based on his other ARMS victory screen. Here's an image to help visualise this pose:

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《Conclusion》

And that's it for my segment of the ARMS Marathon, as there's still plenty more to come. After all, we can only speculate about our ARMS character in Smash for now- we have to the wait in some way. June really can't come any sooner. Well then, I'd best wrap things up here. This has been your host Azure, stay safe and have a great day!

Next time on the ARMS Marathon...

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