Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has finally be released and players across the globe have had the chance to play the game and determine how the returning characters have changed and how the new characters stack up to the competition. Masahiro Sakurai promised that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate would be a faster and more offense focused game than its predecessor. The speed increase of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate makes it feel like an almost totally different game, with the pace of Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U feeling like it's underwater by comparison.

Not all of the characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate have been given buffs or benefitted from the changes to the system, however, as many of the former characters from Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U have received long-awaited nerfs. There are also new characters to the series who have yet to be properly balanced and have been left wanting compared to their competition.

The developers of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate have the ability to patch the game, which means that the characters may change drastically over the course of the next few months. The analysis in this list is just about the characters as they appeared during the launch of the game.

We are here today to see which characters benefitted the most from the jump to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and which ones were left behind. From the return of the Great King of Evil to the disappointing debut of the antagonist of the Metroid series, here are the 10 Most Powerful Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Characters Only Experts Use (And 20 That Should Be Avoided)!

Powerful: Ganondorf

One of the overall changes to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was an increase in the speed of every character in order to make the game move faster and make it less defense-focused than it was in Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U. No one has benefitted more from the speed increase than Ganondorf, who has traditionally been one of the worst characters in the series.

Ganondorf's terrible speed and lack of projectiles meant that it was easy for ranged characters to just bait him and rack up damage over the course of a match. The new version of Ganondorf is now incredibly fast, which means that he has the maneuverability to keep up with the swifter characters. Ganondorf's moves have also received improvements to their damage and speed, meaning that he can now live up to his title as the Great King of Evil.

Should Be Avoided: Bayonetta

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a cool name, but calling it Super Smash Bros. We Finally Nerfed Bayonetta Edition would have attracted more fans of Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U who were sick of her dominance over the game. The reason why Bayonetta was so scary in Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U was due to her amazing combo potential that could take stocks at 0%.

All of Bayonetta's moves that easily opened up into combos have now been changed so that they are far more situational and all of her special moves have seen significant nerfs to their functionality and speed, with many of them now being far easier to punish than before. It's hard to bemoan these changes to Bayonetta, though, as she swamped the competitive scene in Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U and the developers seemingly didn't care.

Powerful: Little Mac

Little Mac was widely regarded as being one of the worst characters in Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U due to his terrible recovery. All you had to do was fling him off the stage and he would become incredibly vulnerable to projectiles, spikes, or just being knocked too far away to recover.

The air dodge mechanic in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has benefitted Little Mac the most, as it adds range to his recovery and makes him less vulnerable while doing so. Little Mac's Jolt Haymaker and Ripercut have also had their recovery potential improved. Little Mac's most crippling weaknesses have been significantly reduced, which means that he may he be the surprise champion of the competitive scene in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. 

Should Be Avoided: Corrin

Corrin's announcement trailer was met with a negative response, due to how he was yet another Fire Emblem representative and his game hadn't even been released yet outside of Japan. The criticisms about Corrin faded away when he became available to , however, as he was one of the best characters in the game, thanks to an amazing range of moves.

Corrin's specials have been weakened in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with the stun from his Dragon Fang Shot being less effective and his Dragon Lunge no longer being as reliable at locking enemies into place. Corrin's Counter Surge is also riskier and cannot hit opponents that are above him, which has weakened one of the best moves in his arsenal.

Powerful: Olimar

The professional Super Smash Bros. players who were given a chance to play Ultimate before release were all tagging Olimar as being one of the best characters in the game. Olimar has been living up to the hype since Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was released, as the overall increase in game speed has helped him immensely.

The speed in which Olimar plucks, orders, and throws Pikmin has been increased, but the damage that they deal when latched on to enemies has seen a huge boost, which means that Olimar can rack up more damage with his ranged moves than almost every other character in the game. Olimar's physical attacks and throwing reach have also been increased, which means that he can easily capitalize on the damage dealt by his Pikmin.

Should Be Avoided: Chrom

Chrom's attributes and move set are meant to turn him into a mixture of Ike and Roy, which has led to one of the most crippling weaknesses in the game. Chrom is a phenomenal character on the stage, but he is helpless when thrown far away, due to an almost total lack of horizontal recovery moves.

Chrom players can use his Soaring Slash to fly upwards, but this move has no horizontal momentum and he has no side specials that grant him additional horizontal movement. The fans of Fire Emblem Awakening have wanted Chrom in Super Smash Bros. for years now, but he will be nigh on unplayable in a competitive setting without being buffed in an update.

Powerful: Inkling

The Inklings from Splatoon were the first new characters revealed for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and they have already caused a splash on the competitive scene. One of the most annoying moves that the Inklings possess is the Splat Roller, which has the ability to bury the opponents in the ground for a few seconds and allows you ample time to charge up a smash attack to send them flying.

The most fearsome aspect of the Inkling is their ability to deal extra damage to foes that are covered in ink, which has given the Inklings some of the highest KO potential in the game, especially when combined with the burying move of the Splat Roller.

Should Be Avoided: The Mii Fighters

The Mii Fighters were easily the least-used characters in Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U due to the fact that you couldn't use them in the online mode of the game, which meant that it restricted the ways in which you could train with the characters. The online ban for the Mii Fighters has been lifted in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but you shouldn't expect to see them becoming staples at tournaments, as they are just as bland and boring as they were in the last game.

The Mii Fighters were given a very generic move set since they aren't based on any single franchise, which means that they are outstripped in their fields by the other characters in the game. If you want to play a swordsman, then there are far better options in the game than the Mii Swordfighter and the same is true for the Mii Brawler and Mii Gunner.

Powerful: King K. Rool

King K. Rool was one of the most requested Super Smash Bros. characters for years and Masahiro Sakurai finally granted the wishes of the fans with his arrival in Ultimate. The fans of the Donkey Kong Country series should also be thankful for King K. Rool being an amazing fighter in Super Smash Bros.

King K. Rool is a heavy character, yet he has an amazing ranged arsenal with his blunderbuss and crown, a move set that makes the most of his super armor, a back aerial that can spike, one of the best forward smash attacks in the game, and an amazing vertical recovery move. King K. Rool might be the leading character for a nerf in the next update for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. 

 Should Be Avoided: Luigi

Luigi started out as a clone of Mario in the original Super Smash Bros. but he was given his own arsenal of moves over time. The latest incarnation of Luigi borrows a weapon from the Luigi's Mansion series, as he can now use the Poltergust G-00 for his throws.

The addition of the Poltergust means that Luigi now has a ranged grab, but this has greatly weakened him as a character, as his throw combo potential is nowhere near as good as it was in Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U. The Poltergust also has a terrible startup and ending lag, meaning that it's incredibly easy to punish if it misses. The Luigi Cyclone move also has less vertical reach, which has reduced the number of options that Luigi has when off the stage, as his recovery is less certain.