Up aerial

Link's up aerial in Brawl.

Cloud's up aerial in Ultimate.

An up aerial (上空中攻撃, Up/above/upper midair attack; commonly abbreviated as Uair or u-air, and referred to as AttackAirHi internally) is an aerial attack that is performed in midair by pressing the attack button while tilting the control stick upward. Its official term varies between titles; it is known as an up midair attack in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and an up air attack from Super Smash Bros. Brawl onward. Many up aerials either have a wide coverage above the user, such as flip kicks, or are narrow but powerful strikes directly above the character's head. They also tend to launch the opponent at a predominantly upward angle, making them crucial for juggling. Many up aerials have a landing animation involving the character falling on their back and having to get back up.

List of up aerials

Character	Description
Banjo & Kazooie	Kazooie swings her wings in an upward motion.
Bayonetta	Performs a frontflip kick. If the button is held, Bayonetta somersaults repeatedly forward and kicks all around herself while firing Bullet Arts from her feet.
Bowser	Leans his head down, then swings it upward. Headbutts in an arc starting from the front.
Bowser Jr.	Swings a hammer above himself. The Koopalings swing their respective wands instead in Ultimate.
Byleth	Unlatches the Sword of the Creator into its whip form, waving it above his head.
Captain Falcon	Performs a backflip kick.
Charizard	Bites above itself. Swings its head upward in an arc starting from the front.
Chrom	Performs a somersaulting slash above himself in an arc starting from the front.
Cloud	Holds the Buster Sword parallel to the ground and thrusts it upward.
Corrin	Performs a somersaulting slash above himself in an arc starting from the front.
Daisy	Swipes one arm after the other from back to the front above herself, creating two magic rainbow trails.
Dark Pit	Twirls the Silver Bow above himself, hitting multiple times.
Dark Samus	Performs an upside-down corkscrew kick aimed slightly forward, hitting multiple times.
Diddy Kong	Performs a backflip kick. Kicks in an overhead arc starting from the front.
Donkey Kong	Swipes one arm in an overhead arc starting from the front, much like his up tilt. Headbutts in an arc starting from behind.
Dr. Mario	Performs a backflip kick.
Duck Hunt	The duck pecks upward three times.
Falco	Flips forward, hitting with his tail and then his legs. Performs a frontflip kick.
Fox	Flips forward, hitting with his tail and then his legs.
Ganondorf	Performs a backflip kick.
Greninja	Performs an upside-down corkscrew kick, hitting multiple times.
Hero	Kicks straight upward.
Ice Climbers	Thrust their hammers upward. Swing their hammers upward in an arc starting from the front.
Ike	Twirls Ragnell above himself in a helicopter motion. Slashes above himself in an arc starting from the front.
Incineroar	Kicks in an overhead arc starting from the front.
Inkling	Kicks twice with one leg after the other in an overhead arc starting from the front.
Isabelle	Thrusts two turnips upward.
Ivysaur	Blasts pollen from its bulb above itself, falling down at a faster speed afterward.
Jigglypuff	Waves one arm in an overhead arc starting from behind.
Joker	Performs an upside-down corkscrew kick aimed slightly forward, hitting multiple times. If active, Arsene swings one hand upward in tandem with Joker's last hit.
Kazuya	Performs a high upwards kick.
Ken	Kicks at a diagonally upward angle.
King Dedede	Twirls his hammer above himself, hitting multiple times.
King K. Rool	Stretches his body and thrusts his head upward, falling while laughing afterward.
Kirby	Performs a cartwheel. From Melee onward, this is his neutral aerial. Performs a backflip kick.
Link	Performs a prolonged stab above himself with the Master Sword.
Little Mac	Weakly throws out a hook in an overhead arc starting from behind.
Lucario	Kicks straight upward, releasing aura from its foot.
Lucas	Headbutts in an arc starting from behind.
Lucina	Performs a somersaulting slash above herself in an arc starting from the front.
Luigi	Performs a backflip kick.
Mario	Performs a backflip kick.
Marth	Performs a somersaulting slash above himself in an arc starting from the front.
Mega Man	Uses the Air Shooter, firing a small tornado above himself that hits opponents multiple times and carries them upward alongside it.
Meta Knight	Slashes above himself in an arc starting from the front.
Mewtwo	Backflips and swings its tail overhead.
Mii Brawler	Kicks in an overhead arc starting from the front.
Mii Gunner	Fires several shots upward from their arm cannon.
Mii Swordfighter	Performs a twirling stab upward.
Min Min	Performs a backflip kick.
Mr. Game & Watch	Blows two puffs of air above himself. Note: Mr. Game & Watch cannot L-cancel his up aerial in Melee because it actually functions as a special move, thus being unable to L-cancel. This trait is shared with his neutral and back aerials. Blows a puff of air that rises upward, hitting opponents multiple times and carrying them alongside it.
Mythra	Slashes the Aegis Sword above herself in a wide arc starting in front of her.
Ness	Headbutts in an arc starting from behind. Swings one arm in an overhead arc starting from behind, releasing PSI sparks from his index finger that hit multiple times.
Olimar	Throws his leading Pikmin above himself, hitting multiple times. Grabs his leading Pikmin by its stem and twirls it above himself. If no Pikmin are following Olimar, he still performs the respective moves, but they have no effect.
Pac-Man	Performs a backflip kick.
Palutena	Twirls and summons her halo, hitting multiple times.
Peach	Kicks at a diagonally upward angle. Swipes one arm after the other from back to the front above herself, creating two magic rainbow trails.
Pichu	Swings its tail in an overhead arc starting from behind.
Pikachu	Swings its tail in an overhead arc starting from behind.
Piranha Plant	Headbutts in an arc starting from behind.
Pit	Twirls the Palutena Bow above himself, hitting multiple times.
Pyra	Slashes the Aegis Sword above herself in a wide arc starting in front of her.
R.O.B.	Flails both arms above himself, hitting multiple times.
Richter	Whips upward with the Vampire Killer. Can function as a tether recovery.
Ridley	Thrusts his closed wings upward, stabbing with their sharp ends.
Robin	Performs a somersaulting slash in an overhead arc starting from the front. Can use either the Bronze Sword or the Levin Sword.
Rosalina & Luma	Rosalina: Summons a rising planetary ring above herself. Luma: Performs a backflip kick. Performs an uppercut.
Roy	Slashes above himself in an arc starting from the front.
Ryu	Uppercuts in front of himself, hitting twice.
Samus	Performs an upside-down corkscrew kick aimed slightly forward, hitting multiple times.
Sephiroth	Performs an upward slash with Masamune in a front-to-back arc.
Sheik	Performs an upside-down corkscrew kick aimed slightly forward. Performs an upside-down corkscrew kick aimed slightly forward, hitting multiple times, then follows up with a stretch kick.
Shulk	Thrusts the Monado upward, then activates its beam blade for a second hit.
Simon	Whips upward with the Vampire Killer. It can function as a tether recovery.
Snake	Performs an upside-down dropkick.
Sonic	Performs a scissor kick.
Sora	Performs an upward slash in a front-to-back arc.
Squirtle	Backflips and swings its tail overhead.
Steve	Swings his axe above himself.
Terry	A flipping kick above.
Toon Link	Performs a prolonged stab above himself with the Master Sword.
Villager	Thrust one, two, or three turnips upward, with the amount being random.
Wario	Claps his hands and feet together.
Wii Fit Trainer	Assumes the Half-Moon pose, swinging her outstretched arms in an overhead arc that starts from the front.
Wolf	Swipes his claws with one arm in an overhead arc starting from the front.
Yoshi	Somersaults and flicks his tail upward. Swings his tail upward in an arc starting from behind.
Young Link	Performs a prolonged stab above himself with the Kokiri Sword.
Zelda	Releases an explosion above herself from one hand.
Zero Suit Samus	Performs a backflip kick.

Notable up aerials

Zelda's up aerial in Melee.

• Mega Man's up aerial, as well as Mr. Game & Watch's in Ultimate, are the only up aerials in the series to be projectiles, allowing them to be reflected or Pocketed.
  • Mega Man's is known for its ability to deal over 20% damage if all hits connect, as well as being composed of windboxes that push opponents upward, allowing it to juggle them efficiently and KO them near the upper blast line, especially if they attempt to jump out of it.
  • It can also meteor smash opponents if it's reflected.
• Simon and Richter's up aerials function as tether recoveries.
• Captain Falcon's up aerial is one of his most useful moves in each of his appearances. In Melee and Brawl, it is used as an aerial spacing tool because of its long-range, and can KO at fairly high percents. In Smash 64, Smash 4, and Ultimate, it is used as a juggling tool to string multiple up aerials together and finish off with another move (most infamously Falcon Dive in Smash 64, commonly known as the Stairway to Heaven.). It can also be used as a rather powerful edgeguarding tool in Smash 64.
• Fox's up aerial in Melee is known for its deadly power, being the second strongest up aerial in the game, only behind Bowser's. It can KO most opponents under 100% from ground level, and can be comboed into from his up throw at a wide range of percents, including at high percents as a KO setup. It was slightly less powerful in Smash 64 although it had better combo potential, especially the first hit. While its knockback was greatly reduced from Brawl onward, it remains a powerful finisher, KOing under 150% from ground level.
• Bowser's up aerial in Melee is the strongest up aerial, as well as one of the strongest aerials overall, although it has extremely high startup lag to compensate. Its power was reduced in Brawl (and reduced again in Smash 4) although it has noticeably less startup lag (which was reduced even further in Smash 4).
  • In Smash 64 the strongest up aerial was Ness' up aerial in the Japanese version and Jigglypuff's in the international versions.
  • From Brawl onward, this is the case for Zelda's up aerial instead which is particularly powerful in Brawl.
• Mr. Game & Watch has the only up aerial in Melee that cannot be L-canceled, due to being coded as a special move. This oddity is also present in his neutral aerial and back aerial. It is also the only aerial move where his appearance changes in Ultimate.
• Meta Knight's up aerial in Brawl is infamous for its range, juggling ability, and extreme speed (coming out on frame 2 and taking only 13 frames to finish), allowing it to true combo into itself even at tumble percents with Brawl's hitstun canceling. Prior to the introduction of Steve, it was the fastest aerial attack in the entire series. It remains the fastest aerial in terms of startup lag, as Steve's comes out on frame 4 and takes 11 frames to finish, assuming Steve has gold tools.
  • In Smash 4, it has been significantly nerfed, although, in combination with the changes to hitstun canceling, it can still combo into itself multiple times and then into Shuttle Loop, which easily KOs opponents near the upper blast line.
• Rosalina & Luma's up aerial in Smash 4 is widely considered one of the best due to Luma's very fast startup (the lowest out of every up aerial in the game) and high base knockback, as well as Rosalina's large disjointed hitbox, which can be used in conjunction to combo into itself and as a followup from several other moves. Most infamously, with high rage, it can drag opponents to the upper blast line and KO them at extremely low percents. In Ultimate, it has been noticeably nerfed, with Luma's attack having more startup, and both characters' attacks having more ending lag to the point there are no longer any followups out of them, in addition to the effect of rage itself being weakened.
• Cloud's up aerial in Smash 4 is often considered one of the best due to its speed, power, juggling ability, low landing lag, immediate auto-cancel after the hitboxes cease, and deceptively long range both vertically and horizontally, making it a powerful juggling option with little commitment and allowing it to start combos on grounded opponents. In Ultimate, it is much harder to use consistently, as it auto-cancels later, has less range especially vertically, and its power has been decreased, although it remains a solid anti-air option.
• Zero Suit Samus's up aerial in Smash 4 is notorious for setting up ladder combos. It can combo into itself at low to mid percent to drag opponents near the upper blast line and combo into Boost Kick for an early KO. It can even be done with the aid of platforms. While the move has a bit more ending lag in Ultimate, she can still pull it off depending on the hitbox placement she hits with.
  • It is also one of her best moves in Brawl. Compared to its later incarnations, it has faster startup (frame 4 instead of frame 6) and has significantly more KO power due to its higher damage and knockback. Additionally, it is notorious for possessing a large disjointed hitbox on its clean hit (although its clean hit has three active frames, the sizable disjoint is only active for one). Despite not having as much combo potential as it does in later games, it is still a very potent combo and juggle tool overall, and is one of the best aerials in the game.
  • Mario's up aerial in Smash 4 and Ultimate (and Smash 64 to a lesser extent) is similar to ZSS's, easily setting up ladder combos into itself at low to mid percents, due to its combination of low lag all around and wide coverage above him. With the aid of platforms (such as those of Dream Land), these combos can be extended to drag opponents near the upper blast line and combo into Super Jump Punch for a KO.
• King K. Rool's up aerial has him perform a small leap that halts his momentum and stalls him in the air. Additionally, it provides head intangibility and Belly Super Armor, making it extremely well protected during startup, on top of being a powerful KO option. Its peculiar stalling properties uniquely assist K. Rool in recovering and "stealing" platforms, however this is counteracted by its extremely high ending lag, the longest of any aerial attack in Ultimate.
• Steve's up aerial in Ultimate is incredibly fast and easily combos into itself or other aerials. It is also the only up aerial in the game that can be repeated by holding down the attack button, and is comparable to his up tilt.
• Sephiroth's up aerial in Ultimate has notably immense range, far surpassing that of every other up aerial in the game.
• Ryu and Little Mac are the only characters with a up aerial that involves punching, and both are one of only three up aerials that involves attacking solely with an arm, with the other being Jigglypuff's up aerial. R.O.B’s up aerial also involves his arms though he flails them instead.

Gallery

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  Mario's up aerial in Melee.