Hello everyone, Angelic here. I've been on Anthers Ladder  for a while and I haven't really seen an in-depth guide for Greninja yet, so as a Greninja main, I'll try my best to put what I know into words. With that said, let's begin. 

 

Overview:

 

Greninja is an absolutely amazing character to play. It can be a bit difficult to get the hang of because it's somewhat weird. This is mostly due to its movement. Greninja is the sixth fastest running character. It has some of the best aerial mobility; it's the eighth fastest moving character in the air. However Greninja is the third fastest faller, so it's an odd combination. Despite Greninja having such great speed, I'd like to clear up a misconception that a lot of people who don't know Greninja or don't play the character may have:

 

Greninja IS NOT a rushdown character. I don't know where this notion originated, but this is absolutely untrue. It's a footsies, hit-and-run, and bait-and-punish character rolled into one. The reason a lot of people think Greninja is rushdown is because of its speed or because of a few combo videos they have seen. This is incorrect information. What most people don't realize is that the people in these combo videos are taking risks by performing such bold approaches, such as raw n-airs, dash attacks or grabs, and there aren't a lot of people who are familiar with Greninja, or they don't punish some of these attempts, so they can get away with it. Greninja's speed is used for it weaving in and out of combat, as it doesn't have the ability to consistently stay in an opponent's face and apply pressure on an opponent. Greninja is all about trick approaches and forcing your opponent to approach you without having to commit to approaching often yourself. Ideally, you don't rush in with grabs, n-airs, dash attacks and just start swinging. This is not to say that you should never approach with these moves, but you do have to think like a ninja. Sometimes you're going to be making your opponent approach you by being passive-aggressive. Be creative and mix it up, but above all, play smart.

 

Another misconception is that Greninja is a very combo heavy character who can combo you to death and you should attack as such. This links back to my point about Greninja not being rushdown. The reason both of these misconceptions are wrong is because Greninja doesn't have fast enough frame data to be a rushdown and extremely combo-heavy character. While Greninja is somewhat combo based, once a combo starts, you extend it for what you can but it's important to realize that there's a reason Greninja is always weaving in and out of combat, deciding on when to approach and wait.  (Even then, Greninja allows for more than one style of play, so playing combo-heavy isn't always necessary.) That reason is because Greninja is not rushdown. It is for reasons such as For Glory rushdown Greninja players that don't use the character properly that we have the toxic, "Better Nerf Greninja" joke. Don't get me wrong, I'm not the best Greninja out there but I am decent and I know what to do as Greninja. 

 

The Neutral:

 

Regarding Greninja's neutral game, it is okay but it's not the best so your main focus in neutral is to play footsies with your opponent and go for trick approaches. Force an approach without ever approaching much yourself. Since Greninja's neutral is a bit different, playing smart and safe is very important. For example, running up or even walking up, stopping and spacing a F-air. Greninja's Out of Shield options aren't that good, except for Shadow Sneak out of Shield, and even this is situational. If you are in shield against a pressuring opponent, it's best to be patient and stay in shield because Greninja can't afford to throw attacks out of the blue. 

 

If anyone wants to take a look at frame data to get a bit of a better idea, you can find all frame data for all characters here.

 

[Smash 4 Frame Data|http://kuroganehammer.com/Smash4]

 

Sheik is a perfect example of a rushdown character.

 

[Sheik's Frame Data|http://kuroganehammer.com/Smash4/Sheik]

 

Yoshi is another good example of rushdown.

 

[Yoshi's Frame Data|http://kuroganehammer.com/Smash4/Yoshi]

 

Compare that data to Greninja and think about the difference. 

 

[Greninja's Frame Data|http://kuroganehammer.com/Smash4/Greninja]

 

Let's take Sheik as an example. In Sheik's case, it is very common to see tilts into aerial setups that end in a Bouncing Fish, Vanish, an aerial or a Smash attack, and an opponent being KO'D in a minute or so is common. With Greninja this is not the case, as Sheik can create openings and begin punishing. Greninja doesn't have this luxury. You have to play more patiently and wait for openings to punish. Once you capitalize on a punish, back away immediately and wait for your next opportunity. This is one of the most important aspects of playing Greninja to keep in mind. 

 

A key point that I have to mention is that Greninja is heavily momentum-based. (I couldn't find where to state this in the previous paragraph.) This definitely ties into my point about Greninja always weaving in and out of combat but it takes a different meaning here. This applies to a few characters, but it's very important for the player to know when to back off of the opponent. Since Greninja doesn't the tools to apply constant direct pressure, this is extremely important. Once you capitalize on a punish and deal your damage, get out of your opponent's face and wait. I can't stress this enough. You have to play Greninja patiently as well as aggressively.

 

Greninja's Movement:

 

First, you have to be comfortable with Greninja's movement because it's a very weird character at first glance. It jumps very high, runs fast and falls fast. This takes time getting used to. Remember that its speed is used for maneuverability and dancing around your opponent. When you think of a ninja, are they always in your face, attacking in one place? Think of Greninja the same way in this case. 

 

Greninja's Attacks:

 

Greninja's attacks are a bit of a mixed bag. Each of them have somewhat situational uses. Jab is good for getting an opponent off of you and giving you space for your next attack or setup. Its 1-2-3 jab is a better choice as opposed to his infinite due to how easy it is to escape the infinite. In addition to this, since it is easy to escape the infinite through DI and Smash DI, an opponent can shield the last hits and then go for a shield grab. Against characters who gain a lot of mileage off of grabs, such as Luigi and Captain Falcon, (Peach is also a really good example, believe it or not, especially combined with turnip and D-tilt footstool setups. Her footstool out of D-throw alone is really good) this is highly dangerous. A few more examples would be Donkey Kong, Bowser, Ness, Mario, Toon Link, Zelda, Robin, Olimar, and Rosalina. In situations like these, it's best to go for jab mixups. A 1-2 into a D-tilt is an excellent option because of Greninja's frame 3 jab and frame 5 D-tilt. 1-2, grab is a good option as well. Since the jabs and D-tilt come out fast, you can use these for pokes and based on your opponent's reaction, you can bait an unsafe option or go for things such as grab setups of your own. 

 

Throws:

 

D-throw is an excellent combo starter, and can drag an opponent across the stage when combined with the proper tilts at low percents, allowing for an F-smash as a finisher for good damage. It also links into jabs at low percents. U-throw has a few uses of its own. First, Greninja's kill throw is its up-throw. If memory serves me right, around 120% it kills lightweights, 140% for middleweights and 160% for heavyweights. At low percents, it can link into a N-air followed by a dash attack, then F-air, depending on how fast you are. It also links into perfect pivot U-tilt, then a short-hop U-air or an U-smash. I see this a lot, but after an u-throw, some people think it's necessary to go for an u-air right away, but at low percentages, N-air is a better choice, especially against middleweights, heavyweights and fast fallers. If the opponent is high enough though, you can go for a short-hop U-air after an U-throw followed by another tilt and either continue the chain or, since the opponent will most likely DI away, Footstool and B-air lock them by landing only the first hit and punish their getup option to finish or, purposely drop the combo, bait an air dodge read and follow up with an U-smash. 

 

F-throw and B-throw are best used for positioning or getting the opponent offstage for stage control. You can possibly cross up and go for mixups such as Shadow Sneak, but this is a direct read and should not just be carelessly thrown out. At low percents though F-throw links into a dash attack, which links into a F-air. This mostly works on midweights and heavyweights. For lightweights such as Jigglypuff, after the dash attack, finish with an U-smash or an U-air depending on how high up the opponent is.

 

Tilts:

 

Greninja's tilts are mostly used to setup followups. Its U-tilt is a good combo starter and can link into itself then into a N-air, B-air or F-air at low percents depending on positioning. U-tilts also link into U-air spikes around 30% on lightweights, 40% on midweights and 50% on heavyweights. From 10 to 32% U-tilt combos into U-smash on lightweights, from 10 to 42% on middleweights, and 10 to 52% on heavyweights. 

 

Greninja's D-tilt is a fast crouching kick and one of its fastest moves, so not only should it be used for extending combos, say, for example out of a D-throw, but it is also good for applying safe pressure for pokes and escaping pressure from an opponent. D-tilt, along with jab and N-air can lead to footstool setups. With D-tilt the timing is insanely strict though, and then I believe jab would be next, followed by N-air. Its F-tilt is mostly used for spacing, although it can jab lock opponents who miss their tech. You can link two F-tilts before your opponent has the chance to get up. On some middleweights and lightweights, you'd use this move to extend your D-throw combo, as D-tilt won't reach. This variation depends upon character though. For lightweights and middleweights, with the exceptions of fast-fallers, use f-tilt instead of d-tilt.

 

Aerial Mobility/Autocancels:

 

Greninja shines in the air, but this applies to its mobility, as some of its aerials all have startup lag. N-air is a useful tool but is somewhat outclassed by Greninja's other aerials. It is a good "get the hell off of me" move. Thankfully it doesn't possess much lag when autocancelled. N-air is not safe on shield unless properly spaced. 

 

Aerials/Autocancels: (continued)

 

Greninja's B-air is one of the harder aerials to autocancel, as you have to land within the first 3 frames of the move. To put this in simpler terms, make sure that you're close enough to the ground for only the first hit of B-air to appear as if it will hit your opponent. Another property about B-air, which is quite interesting and useful is that, after a footstool, if you only land the first hit of the B-air on your opponent and you are both on the ground, it will always prompt an on-spot up. You cannot tech, roll or attack on getup, it will always be an on-spot getup, which allows Greninja free damage, provided that the player is fast enough before the opponent does anything. B-air is not safe on shield unless properly spaced.

 

Greninja's D-air is the hardest to autocancel, as you have to land within the first two frames of the move, which means that you have to be practically touching the ground already to autocancel it. However, since Greninja does not cancel landing lag with Shadow Sneak anymore and D-air has a ridiculous amount of landing lag, avoid trying to autocancel this, as it isn't as useful as the other autocancels. Greninja's D-air is a dive kick that sends Greninja straight downwards and if you land a D-air within the first few frames of the move, it spikes the opponent. A note about D-air is that it will always send your opponent the opposite way of where Greninja is. D-air is safe on shield. 

 

Greninja's F-air is a great spacing tool, useful for trick approaches. Don't wildly through it out though because it has has a moderate amount of startup and ending lag. Greninja's F-air is safe on shield when properly spaced.

 

Greninja's N-air is one of the easiest aerials to autocancel, as you can land within the first 9 frames of the move, and since it will autocancel and not come out, you can use this for mindgames and perform other attacks, such as a jab, tilt, grab, anything you wish. Greninja's U-air autocancels within the first two frames and after frame 35 for the first four hits and on landing anytime after that and his F-air is by far the easiest move to autocancel, as it allows you 12 frames of autocancel time, during which time you are free to use anything. This technique, which is known as A-Landing (every character can do this but it requires different timing depending on the character's moves) has two main uses - it serves as an option out of hitstun when your opponent is chasing you to capitalize on a punish, which leads to its second use, potential mindgames. Since A-Landing has an attack animation come out, it can trick your opponent into resorting to a defensive option on approach so as to avoid being hit, which turns your disadvantageous stage back into an advantageous one. It's best used for attacks with a long startup, as they are the easiest to autocancel, in addition to the potential mindgames. For a general rundown of A-Landing, check out Beefy Smash Doods' video on it here:

 

[Beefy Smash Doods A-Landing Tutorial|https://youtu.be/PbC_nNAMYsU]

 

Going back to Greninja's aerials, all of them have a bit of startup and ending lag, with the exception of B-air, which has no startup lag and U-air, so don't throw them out without a care for tomorrow. Use them wisely and as a side note, learn what links into what. If you use a N-air and try to follow up with say a F-air, if the percentage is wrong, you may end up eating a punish because you risked a punish with a laggy move.

 

Greninja's Specials:

 

Water Shuriken is an excellent projectile for zoning your opponent. I won't cover obvious info about it. Instead, I will say that this move is very useful when B-reversed and wavebounced. In addition, if you land a fully charged shuriken on an opponent, you can get footstool combos off on your opponent while they're being dragged by the shuriken. For a tutorial on how to B-reverse and wavebounce specials, please go here:

 

[Wavebounce and B-reverse Tutorial|https://youtu.be/Vw1elkJwtDo]

 

Shadow Sneak is a good move, which can be used for trick approaches or netting occasional kills. Please be wary that you can be hit out of Shadow Sneak, in addition to being predictable if used often.

 

Hydro Pump is a good recovery special. It can be angled in I believe 16 different direction. It can be useful for extending aerial strings and is a good ledge option if you're being edge-guarded. You can drop from the ledge but you must angle the recovery straight left and right. The water will push your opponent back, giving you space to recover.

 

Substitute is a bit of a double-edged sword. Please watch the Greninja combo Tutorial below and you'll see that it's good for starting combos, however, the one problem with this is that Greninja can be hit out of Substitute, so in theory, the combo can fall apart if this is known. In addition to this, I tested this combo starter out a while ago and I discovered that it's too easy to escape the combo at any point which makes the combo out of counter very impractical. However, it is still a good option against being edge-guarded as you gain a lot of momentum which aids in recovery. 

 

The Combo Game:

 

Greninja has a good combo game and for the most part, there are strings that can be performed on all of the cast at almost every percent. From 0 to 15% you can N-air into footstool, but you must fast-fall the N-air and mash jump in order to footstool the opponent. (It's a lot easier said than done) After a footstool, throw a shuriken to stall yourself. Fall with another fast-falled N-air to extend the combo if the opponent doesn't DI the footstool and if they do, lock them with a B-air to punish and finish the combo. If successful, provided that your opponent doesn't DI the footstools, you can N-air into footstool twice and after the third N-air, finish with an U-smash. 

 

[Greninja Combos & Tricks!|https://youtu.be/AjFyfysoJ1Y]

 

You can do this once on lightweights, twice on midweights and three to four times on heavyweights. U-tilt into U-smash works from 10% to 32% on lightweights, 42% on middleweights and 52% on heavyweights. If you land a N-air first you can use the knockback from the N-air to link into the U-tilt, U-smash setup. From 40% to 160%, you can U-tilt into U-air, and you can use U-air spikes as well to extend this, and if you manage to footstool the opponent out of an U-air spike, that's another combo starter. From 50% to 70%, N-air into F-air combos on midweights, 40% to 60% on lightweights and from 50% to 80% on heavyweights if I remember right. From 60% to 110%, sourspot N-air into U-smash works on midweights, but I'm not sure of its percent ranges for light and heavyweights as of yet. At 80%, you can go for N-air into Shadow Sneak, which works on mid and heavyweights. However you must be fast brcause this is a 50-50 and the opponent can jump before you land the SS, so you'd have to read their jump and use another punish or immediately jump and SS. With stages that have relatively small blast zones, this will kill. I tested this various times on Omega Suzaku Castle and it kills quite consistently at the edge. You can also go for two other 50-50s, one of which is D-throw into F-air and the second one is dash attack, u-air spike, which should put the opponent at 90%, which should allow you to finish with a D-tilt into U-smash. Go for it earlier on lightweights. From 90% to 120%, D-tilt into U-smash kills midweights, from 80% to 110% on lightweights and from 110% to 140% on heavyweights I believe. On midweights around 155%, D-tilt into F-air kills. For lightweights, it kills around 135% and 165% to 175% on heavyweights. Keep in mind that these percents change with your damage as well because of rage buildup.

 

Kill Setups:

 

Killing with Greninja requires a bit of patience because you can't just fish for kills. Some say that Greninja struggles for kills a little and sometimes he can. However, it is definitely equipped with kill setups for tons of situations.

 

D-tilt > U-smash - 90% - 120%*

Short hop Sweetspot (spike) D-air > footstool > B-air lock > F-smash - 90%~

Sourspot N-air > U-Smash - 60% - 110%

D-tilt > F-air - 155%~*

 

50-50 kill setups:

 

N-air < Shadow Sneak (edge of stage) - ~ 80%*

Dash attack < U-air spike < D-tilt < U-smash - ~ 80%*

D-throw < F-air (edge of stage) ~80%

 

* - weight dependant. Value given is on middleweights. Use roughly 10% earlier on lightweights and can be used roughly up to 10% longer on heavyweights.

 

Advanced Techniques:

 

Lastly, I'd like to cover a few of Greninja's advanced techniques. Two of them were removed, those two being Shield Shadow Sneak and Running Shadow Sneak. The tech are as follows:

 

Shadow Sneak out of Shield

Platform Shadow Sneak

Fast-falled N-air 

Up-air spiking

Shadow Sneak Hitstun Cancel

 

For a look at how to perform these, please go here.

 

[Greninja's Advanced Techniques|https://youtu.be/yRpxcJdrua8] 

 

There is one technique that isn't mentioned, that tech being Shadow Sneak Hitstun Cancel. It is a very simple technique which allows you to escape multi-hitting moves. All you have to do is DI in one direction and mash side B like there's no tomorrow. 

 

Miscellaneous:

 

Greninja can cover all of an opponent's ledge options by using down taunt at the correct time. This works for Ganondorf's Flame Choke as well but it's important to space and time the taunt so you don't lose a stock.

 

Thank you for reading this guide and I hope many a Greninja player find it useful.