Vilgax

Vilgax:

Neutral Special: It's the infamous Aku laser, but only the grounded version. Vilgax's version was made first given Aku is only in the console version of the game. The hitbox/lag are identical to Aku's laser as he sweeps it along the ground, but it is more powerful as it deals 13% and higher knockback. The added power is actually pretty helpful and it's still a good move, if blatantly worse than Aku's.

Side Special: Vilgax spins his sword around in front of him, doing variable damage that is inconsistent, presumably due to the small range hitbox. Deals roughly 24-32% if all the htis connect. This does no knockback and is unsafe on hit, but does good damage, is easy to hit with, and produces a decent amount of pickups to build Final Smash meter if you can find a way to collect them somehow (If the foe's not braindead, you won't).

Up Special: Vilgax boosts straight up, then diagonally upwards as flashing red. The first portion has no hitbox, the second part can deal 15% with average knockback. Picture a crappy version of Pikachu's recovery where you always have to DI in the same way. While the second part has a hitbox, it is very specific and covers very little of Vilgax's huge character model. This is a very bad recovery by the high standards for recovery in this game.

Down Special: Vilgax takes out some kind of energy shield. This is a very strong close range attack and is his primary kill move, dealing 16% and high knockback. Vilgax is invincible from the front during this move and any attacks that hit the shield, including projectiles and crap like Blossom's ice breath, will instantly be neutralized. This is vastly preferable to his crappy Side Special for damage dealing due to how safe it is, and is preferable to his fsmash for being much faster.

Final Smash: Vilgax turns into a giant flying octopus, somewhat similar to Game & Watch's Final Smash, but he has infinite free flight and the tentacles are a much harder to avoid hitbox. This is one of the best Final Smashes in the game and is largely impossible to avoid compared to how easy it is to avoid most.

Fsmash: Vilgax does a very slow sword swing in front of himself, dealing 19% and high knockback. This attack should not be used given high power is a common feature in Vilgax's moveset, even if this is his most powerful attack knockback wise.

Usmash: Vilgax slashes upwards, which can't hit grounded enemies in front of him. Largely inferior to his utilt because of the poor hitbox, and not that much stronger anyway.

Dsmash: Vilgax slashes in front of himself, then behind himself. Each hit deals 21% and knocks enemies away very forcefully. These hits can't combo into each other or anything, largely just useful to catch rolls for the second hit. This is much faster to come out than fsmash, though if just using it to hit in front of you the move's going to have bad ending lag.

Jab: Vilgax does three sword strikes for his jab combo. The first one consistently deals 4%, the second one can do anywhere from 6% to 10% and seems to have some sort of weird property where it can hit twice, while the last hit deals 6%. The last hit does huge knockback, but is terrible because it slashes way too far in front of Vilgax. Because the first two hits have Vilgax advance forwards, the last hit won't combo into the other two hits of the jab because enemies will be in his blind spot, at least if they're short. As if that wasn't bad enough, the last hit of the jab is also very slow and enemies can knock Vilgax out of the attack even if they were hit during the second hit of the jab!

The first two hits of the jab combo perfectly into Vilgax's Down Special, and make this move amazing by proxy. You should never ever use the normal third hit of the jab, as it's terrible even ignoring the amazing option you have to cancel into Down Special. While Vilgax's Down Special is already fast, using it out of the jab gives Vilgax some more range to use it with as he advances forwards in addition to giving him some more free damage and meter pickups.

Dashing Attack: Vilgax rushes forwards in a red blur, dealing 13% and decent knockback. The move is fast and sees Vilgax rush forwards a good platform's distance or so, making it pretty great for how fast it starts up.

Utilt: Vilgax stabs upwards, dealing 14%. Surprisingly unlike most high hitting moves of tall characters, this has a hitbox all around Vilgax and can actually hit grounded enemies no matter how short, having a great huge hitbox. Unfortunately the knockback isn't too great, though it can kill at high percents.

Dtilt: Vilgax slashes his sword along the ground, dealing 13% in an unimpressive attack that won't realistically kill any time soon with mediocre knockback, but too much ending lag to combo or anything useful.

Nair: Vilgax does a spinning slash around himself, dealing 12% and weak knockback, but enough to make it safe on hit.

Side Aerial: Vilgax slashes his sword in front of himself in a small hitbox, dealing 15% and weak forwards knockback. This cannot hit grounded enemies ever and as such is only really useful for edgeguarding, which Vilgax has minimal business in donig with his bad recovery.

Uair: Vilgax slashes above himself in a small hitbox, dealing 12% and weak upwards knockback.

Dair: Vilgax swings his sword downwards, dealing 18% and lingering slightly with the hitbox with high horizontal knockback. This is his only aerial that can hit short grounded enemies though none of his aerials are very good.

Grab and Throw: Vilgax grabs the enemy with decent range, dealing 8-9% upon throwing them in a lobbing arc forwards and upwards.

Analysis: Vilgax's only ranged tool to make use of is his laser, and aside from that relies on his hard hitting melee game. He has enough attacks that do high knockback he can reliably push enemies away to spam the laser. Despite having bad aerials, the laser is broken enough it can potentially gimp from on-stage. His best option is by far his jab into Down Special combo and the Down Special in general, and he can use his dashing attack to approach well if he needs to. Vilgax should really try to build up his Final Smash meter if possible given how great it is, encouraging him to use his melee game more to get more meter pickups. Vilgax improves on walk-off stages, eliminating his only real weakness.