Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl Leonardo Guide – How to Play Leonardo

Leonardo, the capable and skilled leader of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, is here in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl! Donning his signature dual katanas, Leonardo slices and dices his opponents to shreds. Leonardo is a character that rewards precision and finesse, so if you like a character that requries a bit of skill to get the most out of, Leonardo is a good choice. We’ll go over the basics in our Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl guide on how to play Leonardo!

How to Play Leonardo

The leader of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has come to kick shell, and he’s quite the adept swordsman. Leonardo fights with his trademark katanas, so this means his movement speed is a little low, but more than makes up for it with his swift and powerful attacks.

Leo’s attacks with his katanas are incredibly fast, true to his ninja nature. The most important mechanic about Leo is that all of his katana attacks deal more damage if you hit with the very tip of the blades. Because of this mechanic, good spacing and positioning is crucial to playing Leo to his fullest potential.

The core of Leo’s play style is to approach your opponent with a purpose. Don’t get too close, otherwise your attacks won’t be doing as much damage as they can do. With that said however, you shouldn’t always be trying for optimal positioning, as this will cause you to play too passively. If you have the opportunity to land a good blow on your opponent, take it!

The reason for this is that Leo’s normal attacks have such great range on them, you can constantly pressure your opponent while staying safe yourself. Don’t forget about Leo’s specials, as they can help you rack up damage and get you out of a sticky situation. Backflip is a particularly good move, as it helps you evade and counterattack in rapid succession.

Leonardo’s Light Attacks

Horizontal Slash (6-9%): Leo slashes horizontally with one of his katanas. Deals 6% damage if the middle or low part of the blade connects, or 9% damage if the blade’s tip hits. The slash comes out very fast and has excellent reach, making this one of Leo’s go-to moves.

Vertical Slash (6-9%): Leo slashes vertically with one of his katanas. Similar to Horizontal Slash, this move will deal more damage if you hit with the katana’s tip. This move’s animation is a bit deceptive, as it doesn’t have as much horizontal reach as it looks like it does. However, it’s extremely fast and has excellent vertical reach, making it another reliable move to use.

Leg Sweep (8%): Leo performs a swift sweeping kick. Deals decent damage and has low launching power, making it a good combo starter. Follow it up with strong or aerial attacks.

Shell Shock (8%): Leo performs a running elbow tackle. Shell Shock is a pretty standard dash attack, with good active frames and fast startup, but with a bit of recovery lag.

Aerial Horizontal Slash (5-9%): Leo lets out a quick slash midair. Just like the ground counterpart, this move comes out very fast, and it has good reach, making. It doesn’t have high launching power, so chaining multiple slashes is great for racking up damage.

Aerial Vertical Slash (5-9%): Leo slashes upward in the air. The vertical slash comes out really fast and has low launching power, making it an easy tool to carry your opponent upwards. Rack up the damage then finish them up with an aerial strong attack.

Down Slash (6-10%): Leo slashes down in the air, spiking any opponents he hits. The hitbox on this move starts towards the bottom of Leo, so you might miss if you try to use this on an opponent that is on an even level with you.

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Leonardo’s Strong Attacks

Dual Horizontal Slash (10-16%): After a brief windup, Leo swings both his katanas in an upward arc. This move has quite the range both vertically and horizontally, but the first few active frames start in front of Leo.

Dual Vertical Slash (10-16%): Leo lowers his katans and then quickly swings them upward in a scooping fashion. Despite the name, this move’s active frames starts out in front of Leo and then moves upward. Launches opponents in an upward arc, so you can use it as a combo finisher.

Scissor Slash (10-16%): Leo slashes with both of katanas towards the ground. Has a bit of a slow startup, but deals great damage and launches in an upward arc. If you can manage to hit someone midair with Scissor Slash, they’ll be sent downward.

Running Hit (10-20%): Leo lunges forward with both of katanas. This attack propels Leo forward a good distance, so you’ll want to use it very early to get the bonus tip damage. If you use it too late, you’ll only deal 10% damage.

Aerial Dual Horizontal Slash (10-16%): After a brief windup, Leo swings both his katanas upward. This move has pretty good range, and it sends opponents away in a wide arc, so it can be used as a good poke or combo finisher.

Dual Hit (10-16%): Leo stabs with both of his katanas straight above him. This move has a narrow hitbox, so use it for enemies directly above you. It’s got good launching power, so use it as a combo finisher.

Aerial Scissor Slash Down (10-16%): Leo slashes both of his katanas below him. This move slows down Leo’s descent, assisting you in lining up the attack. This move will send opponents downward, so it’s a great way to intercept recovering opponents.

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Leonardo’s Special Attacks

Niten Ichi-ryu (8-10% per hit): Leo prepares his swords and thrusts forward. Pressing the special button a second time will make Leo to perform a follow-up attack, which can be altered by holding up or down before pressing the special button. The initial attack can be charged by holding the button down, but this doesn’t affect the damage or range — it’s simply a tool for throwing off your opponent.

Endless Screw (4-7% per hit): Leo spins his swords so fast that he propels himself into the sky. Hits multiple times, and if you can manage to hit an opponent with the first hit, they’ll be juggled into the other hits.

Backflip (8%): Leo quickly jumps back in retreat. Leo is invincible during the first couple frames of the back jump, so you can use this to swiftly evade an incoming attack. Leo can then perform a follow-up dive kick by pressing the special button again, giving him a quick counterattack.

That’s all for this guide on Leonardo in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl! If you have any othe tips or tricks to share, let us know in the comments below!