Edge
An edge (also known as a ledge, coded internally as cliff) is any part of a stage from which one can grab or tether (not to be confused with a wall grapple). Edges are often found at the ends of a stage's main platform; The edge, therefore, becomes an important element in the battle between an edge-guarder and a recovering opponent. Some stages have many edges or none at all, however on most tournament legal stages there is an edge on both ends of the stage (e.g. Final Destination). On certain stages (namely Norfair), there are passable platforms with edges.
In Super Smash Bros. and Melee, a character cannot grab the edge if facing the opposite direction, while in Brawl orientation does not matter. Characters will automatically grab a nearby edge while in the air but ignore the edge if holding down control stick or D-pad. When a character grabs an edge, they are briefly invincible. More than one character cannot hold on to the edge at the same time, with the exception of the Ice Climbers where a single play controls two characters.
In Brawl's Stage Builder, only normal blocks can be "grabbed", and only if they are at least two units above another surface. Ice, Drop Blocks, slopes, and other objects cannot be grabbed.
Climbing
When hanging on an edge, the player has five possible actions:
- Climbing
- Attacking
- Rolling
- Jumping
- Dropping
Fast versus slow edge actions
When a character's damage is lower than 100%, the character is considered "fresh", and is able to climb back onto the stage from the edge rather quickly. However, at percentages of 100% and above, the character can be considered "tired", and climbing becomes a harder task. As a result, all edge actions aside from letting go have two possible animations: one with the character performing the action in a fluent and fast manner, and another with the character in a messy and slow manner. The fast and slow animations are often noticably different in execution, such as a quick flip kick versus a slow trip kick, or a quick roll versus a slow crawl.
Hang time
Regardless of the character's physical strength, fighters can hold on to an edge for a determined amount of time. This amount cannot increase or decrease with usual methods. For instance, grabbing a edge repeatedly within a short interval would logically decrease the amount of time. This, however, is not true in the games. The duration is also not affected by Metal Boxes, the character's size (mega or tiny), or any items he or she is carrying.
However, after the character's damage reaches 100%, the amount of time allowed is noticeably reduced. The following is a short list with the hang duration for each game.
| SSB | SSBM | SSBB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 100% | 18 seconds | 11 seconds | 6 seconds |
| 100% or more | 8 seconds | 8 seconds | 5 seconds |
