Yoshi Bomb

Yoshi Bomb
Yoshi Bomb in Super Smash Bros.
User	Yoshi
Universe	Yoshi
Article on Super Mario Wiki	Ground Pound

Yoshi Bomb (ヒップドロップ Hippudoroppu, Hip Drop) (also referred to as Ground Pound, see below) is Yoshi's down special move. He smashes straight downward into the ground when used, and releases a star on either side, providing minor protection against nearby enemies. If used on the ground, Yoshi will jump forward before dropping down. This move can be canceled by grabbing the ledge while dropping.

This move's drop deals 18% damage in Smash 64, while the stars produce 3% each. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the Yoshi Bomb was slightly weakened in damage, with the stars only dealing 1%, but it still inflicts powerful knockback. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the attack was further weakened, but the grounded version now posseses a weak hitbox during the jump that links more successfully into the second hit. In all games, the stars can be reflected and absorbed.

Name

In the original Smash 64, the move is called "Hip Drop" by Yoshi's in-game character profile, which was the standard name for the maneuver in the Mario Party series at this time; elsewhere in the Mario and Yoshi series the move is known as "Ground Pound". However, the move is listed as "Bomb" in the manual, which is likely an error.

The move was then named as the Yoshi Bomb in both Melee and Brawl. This is a bit of an unsubstantiated choice; no move has ever been known as "Yoshi Bomb" in the Mario or Yoshi series, and the Japanese name for the move remains ヒップドロップ ("Hippu Doroppu", Hip Drop).

Manual Descriptions

Melee manual description

"Pound enemies directly or shock those nearby with stars when you hit the ground."

Brawl manual description

"Jump forward and up, then slam down in a flash. Sends you straight down when done in the air."

Origin

The move has become a somewhat standard move in Mario games, originating in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island where Yoshi could use it to pound down stakes, crush crates, slam through soft dirt, and of course, damage and defeat enemies.

There are two possible origins for the stars. Within the Mario universe, the only close relative of such an occurance is in Super Mario World, where Yoshis who have a yellow shell in their mouth cause damaging clouds of smoke upon landing from any jump. Alternatively, as many mechanics of the Smash Bros. series are derived from the Kirby series, it's possible that the stars are a reference to how a great deal of ground-smashing attacks produce stars on impact, which Kirby can suck up and spit out.

Trivia

• This is Yoshi's only special move (excluding his Final Smash) that is not egg-related.
• The instruction booklet for the original Super Smash Bros refers to the move as simply "Bomb", causing it to share a name with special moves of Link and Samus, both of which coincidentally are also down special moves.
• In Melee, despite CPUs rarely shielding physical attacks, they will always roll dodge or air dodge away from this attack when used in their vicinity.

Gallery

• 

  Yoshi Bomb in Melee.

• 

  Yoshi Bomb hitting an opponent in Melee.

• 

  Yoshi Bomb in Brawl.

Yoshi's special moves

Neutral special	Egg Lay
Side special	—	Egg Roll
Up special	Egg Throw
Down special	Hip Drop	Yoshi Bomb
Final Smash	—		Super Dragon		Stampede!