MultiVersus Banana Guard guide: Moves, perks, strategies and unlockables

Of all the characters who could have been added to MultiVersus, we’re pretty sure there weren’t many players who expected to see the Banana Guard.

In many ways, though, he’s actually the perfect character for the game. Not only does he come prepared to fight, but the fact he’s a fairly niche character makes him proof that absolutely anybody could be added to the game in the future, not just the big names.

If you’re not too familiar with the Banana Guard, he’s a recurring character in Adventure Time, the Cartoon Network show that already has two other characters in the roster (Finn and Jake).

There are actually loads of Banana Guards in the show, and their job is to protect Princess Bubblegum and defend her castle.

Unfortunately, they’re not the best at doing their jobs – as one of them said in one episode, “Banana Guarding is really boring”, so their minds can occasionally wander, leading to problems.

Thankfully, the Banana Guard who stars in MultiVersus has his eyes very much on the prize, and is committed to winning.

If you fancy playing as Banana Guard and learning his strengths and weaknesses, we’ve put together some advice for you.

Further reading

MultiVersus characters: Your guide to every current and upcoming fighter

The full list of MultiVersus characters and how to get them

Banana Guard guide – fighting strategies

Banana Guard is a Bruiser class, which is the most common in the game.

Bruisers are usually the most straightforward characters to use in the MultiVersus, and Banana Guard is no different, meaning it can be easy to get to grips with him.

He has no fancy projectiles or teleports and is at his happiest when he’s up close to an opponent, dishing out melee moves.

This is also his greatest weakness, however – because he’s a Bruiser class and not a Tank class he can’t just stay in there soaking up damage so you still need to make sure you’re careful while in the thick of battle.

Luckily, his spear gives him one advantage over most other Bruisers, in that it gives him a little extra reach.

Once you figure out how far away you can stand from your opponent while still hitting them with a spear attack, try positioning yourself there and you’ll have the edge against those with shorter reach

Banana Guard guide – Special moves

Potassium and Protein

(Neutral, ground or air)

You need to be strong to be a member of the Banana Guards, and this chap is no exception.

Performing a Neutral Special makes the Banana Guard pull out a dumbell and start doing some exercises.

If you can pull this off without being hit, Banana Guard will be able to do extra damage and knock back opponents for a short time.

It’s not an enormous deal but it could give you the edge, so get into the habit of doing it any time you’re far from your opponents and in a safe place, before heading back into the fray.

Chaaaarge!

(Side, ground)

As the name suggests, doing a Side Special on the ground will make Banana Guard charge forward, pointing his spear at opponents.

It does a decent amount of damage and can be difficult to avoid if opponents aren’t paying attention.

Best of all, it’s quite a speedy move to perform, so if you can use the dodge move to roll through an opponent as they attack, then instantly hit the Chaaaarge attack you’ll have a good chance of hitting them in the back.

Another good time to use this move is when a group of other opponents are involved in a close-quarters battle.

If you’re too busy with each other, they may not see you jumping over to them and performing a Chaaaarge to plough through them.

Rank Breaker

(Side, air)

The Rank Breaker is similar to the Chaaaarge move, but it’s performed in the air.

Naturally, it differs slightly because it’s not as if you can run on thin air – he’s good, but he’s not that good – so instead he performs an air-dash instead, spear extended.

It still does decent damage and does a good job of knocking your opponent back.

It’s also useful for getting yourself quickly out of harm’s way – for example, if an opponent is above you and looking to spike you downwards.

Bananacopter

(Up, ground or air)

The Bananacopter move makes Banana Guard spin his spear so quickly that it turns into a little helicopter blade.

This causes him to slowly lift into the air, doing damage to anyone above him (or next to him if you perform it on the ground, standing next to someone).

The Bananacopter can also be performed in the air, where it obviously can be used to change Banana Guard’s direction of movement.

This makes it a useful move for a last-ditch recovery if you’re about to fall off the bottom of the stage and there are no walls nearby to jump up.

Whyyyy???

(Down, ground)

Banana Guards are emotional folk, as seen in one or two episodes of Adventure Time where they break down in tears.

The Whyyyy??? move uses that emotion to his favour as he drops to his knees and wails in agony.

If you’re right next to an opponent when you do this, you’ll knock them back. This is probably best to do when an opponent is stunned, because the hitbox is so small you have to be right on top of them.

Alternatively, perform it next to a teammate and they’ll get an Enraged status. This means the next time they land an attack on an opponent, it’ll add Weakened status to them, which makes hits do more damage and knockback.

Banana Split

(Down, air)

One of the most potentially useful tricks in the Banana Guard’s arsenal, the Banana Split move has him performing a huge ground-pound move with his bum.

When he hits the ground, he’ll send anyone nearby flying up into the air.

Naturally, if an opponent has taken some damage at this stage there’s a chance of knocking them right off the top of the stage.

Otherwise, unless they’re completely fresh, it’ll still likely bounce them high enough to juggle them for a further attack if you can aim it well enough.

Banana Guard skin variants

You wouldn’t think there’s much you can do with a Banana Guard, given that there are so many of them in the show and they all wear similar outfits.

However, from time to time you do see a female Banana Guard, and that’s what developer Player First Games has gone for as the first variant in MultiVersus.

At  first, players will be able to unlock the variant by taking part in the seven-day reward calendar they get for playing the game’s opening tutorial.

This calendar intiially unlocks the Banana Guard, but if you complete all seven days you’ll then unlock the Lady Banana Guard variant.