Ness

“Okay.”

—Ness, Super Smash Bros. Melee

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Ness, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee

Ness is a young boy from Onett, who first appeared in the game Earthbound (Mother 2 in Japan). Although just a normal boy, he ended up on a wild adventure to rescue his country, Eagleland, from Aliens. He also developed Psychic powers during the course of the game. He has been linked to Mario by the Super Smash Bros. Series. There is a cameo of Mario in Earthbound. In the arcade there is a Donkey Kong machine.

Super Smash Bros. Series

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Ness in Super Smash Bros.

Ness' first Marioverse appearance was in Super Smash Bros., where he was an Unlockable character. To unlock him, the player had to beat 1-P Mode on Normal Difficulty with 3 lives, without continuing, as any character. The player would then have to defeat Ness, in order to unlock him. His powers are based on his PK (Psychokinesis) moves from Earthbound. However, only PSI Magnet was from the game, the other two were used by his friend Paula (but Paula's Trophy in Melee stated that she may have taught Ness, after the events of the game).

Ness returned in the game's sequel Super Smash Bros. Melee. However, he was available from the start, and didn't have to be unlocked. He added a new attack to his arsenal, PK Flash, which was one of his Earthbound attacks. Ness also has one of the most useful smash hits, which involve his Homerun Bat. Interestingly, Ness was actually meant to be replaced by Lucas, the hero of Mother 3, but that game was delayed for 2006, so they kept Ness in.

Overall, Ness is a rather difficult character to use, but can be very helpful once mastered. In both games, he was voiced by Makiko Omoto, who also voices Kirby. It is currently unknown if he will return in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but it is debatable, considering he was meant to be replaced in Melee.

Super Smash Bros. special moves

• B: PK Fire
• Up & B: PK Thunder
• Down & B: PSI Magnet

Super Smash Bros. Melee special moves

• Neutral B: PK Flash
• Smash B: PK Fire
• Up & B: PK Thunder
• Down & B: PSI Magnet

Trophy Information from Super Smash Bros. Melee

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Ness's Adventure mode trophy.

Classic

Ness is a young boy who's mastered the psychic power known as PSI. Ness was living a normal life in the suburbs of Onett until a meteor crashed into a nearby mountain and sent him on a wild adventure. Believing in the ultimate powers of wisdom, courage, and friendship, Ness proves that some heroes come in small packages.

Adventure

The key to mastering Ness is controlling his unique midair jump, which makes up for what he lacks in speed. His PK Flash attack may seem weak at first glance, but it grows more powerful the longer you hold down the B Button. To do a lot of damage with PK Fire, try to burn your opponent as many times as possible.

All-Star

Ness's mind is his best weapon. PK Thunder is a PSI missile weapon that can be guided using the Control Stick, and if Ness hits himself with it, he turns into a living missile capable of doing massive damage. This move can also be used for recovery. PSI Magnet turns energy missile attacks into health; try out certain Pokémon for stamina replenishment.

Trivia

• The Mario Bros. made quite a few cameos in Earthbound. At the Onett Arcade, there are several Donkey Kong arcade machines. A few of the default names for all the characters in the Japanese version of the game are Mario, Luigi, Toad and Peach, as well as Yoshi for Ness' dog. Ness also loves Mushroom Meal (the main Mario item is the Mushroom), and his favorite thing in the entire world is Goal (which was the slogan for when Mario or Luigi finished a level in Super Mario Bros.).
• Ness' name is an anagram of "SNES", as EarthBound was produced for use on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Similarly, Ness' predecessor in the EarthBound series, Ninten, is named after the simple "Nintendo" nickname for the NES (which carried the series' first game), although this naming tradition stopped with EarthBound's third (second in Western countries) installment's "Flint" protagonist, and later in the game, Lucas.
• Ness, and the Earthbound series as a whole, were one of two series from the original Super Smash Bros. to not appear in Nintendo Monopoly. The other series was Pokémon.
• Ness' emblem in the Super Smash Bros. Series is the Earthbound logo.