Ice Climbers

Ice Climbers
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate artwork
First appearance	VS. Ice Climber (1984)
Latest appearance	WarioWare: Get It Together! (2021)
Portrayed by	Sanae Kobayashi (2001-present)
In-universe information
Species	Human
Super Smash Bros. appearances Super Smash Bros. Melee Super Smash Bros. Brawl Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Special moves Standard:  Ice Shot Side:  Squall Hammer Up:  Belay Down:  Blizzard Final Smash:  Iceberg

“In Ice Climber, Popo and Nana are identical outside of their clothing. Two players can play at the same time, and the game can be cooperative or competitive depending on how you play.”

– Tips, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The Ice Climbers, named Ice Climber in Japan, are a pair consisting of a boy named Popo and a girl named Nana, who originate from the VS. System arcade game VS. Ice Climber. Though they have only had one single game of their own, aside from the modified NES home conversion Ice Climber, the Ice Climbers have made various appearances in other Nintendo games, including in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a playable fighter.

History

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Super Smash Bros. Melee

In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the Ice Climbers are introduced as a default playable fighter. The two are unique, as they fight as a team, but act as two separate characters. Depending on the alternate costume, the player can control either Popo or Nana, while the other is a computer player that copies their inputs and returns to the player when they are separated. The Ice Climbers attack simultaneously, and as they are two characters the player can grab two opponents and hold two items at once. If the second climber is KO'd, the leading one can still fight, but their attacks are not as powerful as they would be if both are present. However, if the player-controlled climber is KO'd, they are both sent back to the respawn platform. Also unique to the Ice Climbers is that they have normal traction on slippery ground.

Their neutral special move is Ice Shot, which sends out icicles toward the opponents. Their side special is Squall Hammer, in which the climbers spin around with their hammers. Their down special move is Blizzard, which has Popo and Nana send out a blast of cold air. Their up special move is Belay, in which one of the climbers throws the others into the air with a rope to pull the other up.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Super Smash Bros. Brawl artwork

The Ice Climbers return to the series in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, retaining their moveset and attributes from Super Smash Bros. Melee. However, both Ice Climbers are able to grab a ledge at the same time; in the previous game, the other climber cannot grab on if one is already on the ledge. Their Final Smash is Iceberg, in which they create a large iceberg in the middle of the stage. During their stage entrance, the Ice Climbers are flown to the stage by the condor.

Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary

The Ice Climbers' snapshot in The Subspace Emissary

The Ice Climbers were first seen climbing up the Glacial Peak, completely oblivious to the shootout between the Great Fox and the Battleship Halberd. However, they do see Meta Knight climbing past them, trying to get to the Halberd. The Ice Climbers see this as a challenge, and race him to the top, managing to reach it first. However, they discover Lucario up there, who challenges Meta Knight. Popo and Nana could only watch. Just after the battle, the Halberd rams the Great Fox into the mountain. While Meta Knight and Lucario take this chance to get inside the Halberd, the Ice Climbers fall into the Canyon, where they find themselves with Marth, Lucas, the Pokémon Trainer, and Ike. The Subspace Army attacks them all, but they are saved by Mario, Link, Yoshi, Kirby, and Pit. The Ice Climbers eventually go to Subspace with all of the heroes, where they all get turned into trophies by Tabuu. Fortunately, Kirby is then revived by a badge created by King Dedede, so he saves Popo and Nana along with some other characters. The entire team then goes after Tabuu.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

The Ice Climbers do not return as playable characters in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, making them the only playable characters in the entire series that have been playable in more than one game before being cut. The director of the games, Masahiro Sakurai, has stated this is because they were unable to run smoothly on the 3DS version of the game, and that while the Ice Climbers were running perfectly in the Wii U version, they were cut as they were unlikely to get a new game and Sakurai didn’t want the Wii U version to have an exclusive character. Instead, they appear as a trophy in both versions of the game; the trophy is a random unlockable in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS; to unlock the trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the player has to KO his/her rival four times in a single Rival Smash match.

Icicle Mountain's theme from Super Smash Bros. Melee and Ice Climbers' theme from Super Smash Bros. Brawl returns in the Wii U version as alternate themes for the Wrecking Crew stage, despite the characters being cut.

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Polar Bears, an enemy of the Ice Climbers, are featured as an enemy in Smash Run.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

The Ice Climbers, alongside all Super Smash Bros. series veterans, return as unlockable playable fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. They received many aesthetic changes, such as Nana being more expressive when Popo grabs an opponent, or vice-versa. The Ice Climbers also have 8 costumes, like all other characters in the game. On a side note, the Ice Climbers' victory theme has been shortened compared to Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

The Ice Climbers retain their Final Smash from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, though it functions slightly differently.

Classic Mode route

Duos for Days
Round	Opponent(s)	Stage	Song
1	Link, Zelda	Great Plateau Tower	Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2	Ryu, Ken	Suzaku Castle	Ryu Stage
3	Villager, Isabelle	Smashville	Title Theme - Animal Crossing: Wild World (Brawl)
4	Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong	Jungle Japes	Jungle Level (Melee)
5	Palutena, Pit	Palutena's Temple	Title Theme - Kid Icarus
6	Mario, Peach	Princess Peach's Castle	Main Theme - New Super Mario Bros.
Final	Master Hand, Crazy Hand	Final Destination	Master Hand / Crazy Hand

Profiles and statistics

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Trophies

Name	Image	Game/move	Description
Ice Climbers (Classic)		Ice Climber 10/85	That's Popo in the blue and Nana in the pink. These two stars of the game Ice Climber have scaled many an icy summit in their mountaineering careers. Back in their glory days, they chased eggplants, cucumbers, and other vegetables that inexplicably fell from frosty summits when a condor reigned supreme. They're rarely seen apart.
Ice Climbers [Smash] (Adventure)		: Ice Shot Smash B: Squall Hammer	This unique twosome fights together as a team. Your score will not be affected if the CPU-controlled character is KO's, but a lone Ice Climber won't be able to use teamwork moves, which will make for a tough and frantic solo fight. The Ice Shot fires mini-glaciers out of their hammers, while Squall Hammer is at its strongest when Nana and Popo combine their strength.
Ice Climbers [Smash] (All-Star)		Up & : Belay Down & B: Blizzard	The colors of the Ice Climbers' parkas denotes who's in the lead: Nana's in pink or orange, while Popo's in green or blue. Their hairstyles are also slightly different. Belay allows them to cover great distances, but doesn't give foes the chance to target their landing. Blizzard is best used in close quarters; in the fray, Nana and Popo will sometimes freeze opponents.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Snake's codec

• Snake: So those two are the Ice Climbers, huh?
• Mei Ling: Snake, have you ever heard of a "blood bond"?
• Snake: Sure.
• Mei Ling: It refers to a bond between two people that's so strong they'd die for each other. The Ice Climbers have conquered frozen glaciers and dangerous mountaintops together. I think they've formed a bond that we can't even fathom.
• Snake: I dunno. Seems to me they'd get in each other's way fighting to see who gets to the top first.
• Mei Ling: Snake, in China they say, "Though brothers may quarrel at home, outside they defend each other from slight."
• Snake: Is that really a Chinese proverb?
• Mei Ling: Even though they may get in each other's way occasionally, they'll pull together in times of need. They're an inseparable team, Snake. Don't underestimate them!

Trophy

Name	Image	Game	Description
Ice Climbers		Ice Climber	The one in blue is Popo, and the one in pink is Nana. They use their incredible jumping powers and hammers to break blocks and climb to the summit. They grab veggies, and if they can catch the condor at the end, they conquer the mountain. Other than breaking blocks, their hammers are good for sending foes flying, climbing down from blocks, and destroying icicles.

Sticker

Name	Image	Game	Effect	Usable by
Nana		Ice Climber	[Specials: Direct] - Attack +29	Ice Climbers

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U trophy

Name	3DS trophy	Wii U trophy	Category	Appears in	Trophy Box	Description
Ice Climbers			Other	Ice Climber (10/1985)	77: NES	This pair of adventurers starred in an action game released in 1985. Popo wears blue, and Nana wears red. The goal of their adventure was to reach the top of the mountain, collecting vegetables and defeating animals along the way. Grabbing the condor earned them a nice bonus too! Popo (in blue) and Nana (in pink) are the daring adventurers from the two-player platformer Ice Climber, released in Europe in 1986. In that game, your goal is to head up a mountain, breaking blocks and taking out pesky critters along the way. When you get to the top, you can collect veg and grab on to the condor to get bonus points! Nice!

Blue indicates exclusive to the Wii U version.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Palutena's Guidance

• Pit: Two of them? That's cheating!
• Palutena: Say hello to the Ice Climbers. They haven't always had the best cooperation, but their teamwork seems pretty solid now.
• Pit: OK, sure, but...What about the fact that there are two of them?! Didn't they get kicked out of Smash for illegal teaming?
• Palutena: Well they're back now, so I'm pretty sure it's allowed. I mean, you could pair up with Dark Pit if you wanted to.
• Pit and Dark Pit: Never!
• Palutena: Your physical powers are equally matched. It's a perfect fit, really.
• Pit: That IS true.
• Dark Pit: Hmm...
• Palutena: Now then, which one of you is the leader?
• Pit: Definitely me!
• Dark Pit: No way. I'm the leader.
• Viridi: Oh yeah. They make a perfect team.
• Palutena: In any case, when fighting the Ice Climbers, defeat Nana first to isolate Popo. Try to separate them!

Super Smash Blog bio

"Back in the battle after a ten-year absence! There are two of them, so does that make them twice as strong as other fighters?"

Spirit

No.	Name	Image	Series / game	Type	Class	Strength / effect(s)	How to obtain	Spirit battle
								Opponent(s)	Battle conditions	Stage	Song
606	Ice Climbers		Ice Climber Series	Fighter	N/A	N/A	Classic Mode as Ice Climbers	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

amiibo

• That's Popo in the blue and Nana in the pink. These two stars of the Ice Climber™ game have scaled many an icy summit in their mountaineering careers. Back in their glory days, they chased eggplants, cucumbers, and other vegetables that inexplicably fell from frosty summits when a condor reigned supreme. They're rarely seen apart.

Audio samples

Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Popo performing Ice Shot. (Sanae Kobayashi, 2008)

File infoMedia:Ice Climbers voice sample Popo.oga ​

Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Nana performing Ice Shot. (Sanae Kobayashi, 2008)

File infoMedia:Ice Climbers voice sample Nana.oga ​

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

Names in other languages

Ice Climbers

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	アイスクライマー Aisu Kuraimā	Ice Climber
Chinese	雪人兄弟 Xuěrén Xiōngdì 翻越冰山者 (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) Fānyuè Bīngshān Zhě	Snowman Brothers Ice Mountaineers
Korean	얼음 타기 Eol'eum Tagi	Ice Climbing (mistranslation of "Ice Climbers")
Russian	Альпинисты Al'pinisty	Alpinists

Popo and Nana

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ポポとナナ Popo to Nana	Popo and Nana
Chinese	波波和娜娜 Bōbō hé Nànà	Popo and Nana
Dutch	Popo en Nana	Popo and Nana
French	Popo et Nana	Popo and Nana
German	Pepe und Nana	Popo and Nana
Korean	포포 와 나나 Popo wa Nana	Popo and Nana
Russian	Попо и Нана Popo i Nana	Popo and Nana
Spanish	Popo y Nana	Popo and Nana

Trivia

• In the German version, Popo was renamed to "Pepe" due to "Popo" meaning "buttocks" in German.
• The Ice Climbers' Chinese name literally translates to "Snowman Brothers," despite the fact that Nana is female.
• The Ice Climbers' losing/"No Contest" animation shows Popo and Nana crying rather than clapping, a reference to their "No Bonus" animation from Ice Climber.