Vine Whip
| Vine Whip | |
|---|---|
 When used as an attack, Vine Whip has a powerful sweetspot. | |
| User | Ivysaur |
| Universe | Pokémon |
| Article on Bulbapedia | Vine Whip (move) |
| “ | Flick its vines forwards diagonally. Do it near an edge and Ivysaur will latch on. | ” |
| —Brawl's instruction manual | ||
Vine Whip (つるのムチ, Vine Whip) is Ivysaur's up special move.
Overview
Ivysaur lashes a vine from its flower, which functions as both an attack and a tether recovery. On the ground, Vine Whip hits at a forty-five degree angle in front of and above Ivysaur, with a powerful sweetspot at the end of the whip. In the air, in addition to granting Ivysaur a little height Vine Whip gains a deceptively long range, capable of nabbing the edge with a length far beyond the ground-based Vine Whip.
Like Olimar's Pikmin Chain, Vine Whip will cause helplessness if used in the air. If left hanging on its vine for long enough, Ivysaur will panic & automatically retract to the ledge. Unfortunately, Ivysaur can easily be edgehogged while attempting to use the Vine Whip to recover.
Origin
Vine Whip is a physical Grass-type attack introduced in Generation I, which involves hitting the foe with an outstretched vine. It is a rather weak move, learned by the Bulbasaur family and several other Grass-type Pokémon at a low level. In the Pokémon animated series, some Grass-type Pokémon (including Bulbasaur) are sometimes depicted using their vines to grab and manipulate objects.
Trivia
- Vine Whip is the only tether recovery up special in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It is no longer Ivysaur's sole method of recovery however, as Pokémon Change is faster and can now be done in midair, enabling the use of Squirtle's and Charizard's recovery options.
- A small electric shock will be heard when the sweetspot of the vine hits another character. However, the sweetspot is still considered a grass attack and not an electric attack: this unusual sound was likely chosen to simulate more closely the cracking sound of an actual whip, especially one striking an object.
- If used from far enough away, grabbing the front end of the Pirate Ship will cause Ivysaur to swing into the hull of the ship, which will deal 10% damage to Ivysaur and meteor smash it, resulting in a guaranteed self-destruct.
