Spike

A Spike is a type of attack in Super Smash Bros. and Melee that sends the opponent downward until the hitstun wears off. A Spike is not to be confused with a Meteor Smash, which also sends the opponent downward, but can be Meteor Canceled before the hitstun wears. There are no true Spikes in Brawl, only Meteor Smashes, as all attacks that deal downward knockback can be Meteor Canceled - however, Meteor Smashes can't be canceled immediately so they are still very useful for finishing off opponents. When referring to Brawl, people often use the terms "spike" and "meteor smash" interchangeably.

Spikes are not guaranteed KOs - if the opponent's damage is very low, the Spike will be too weak to put them so far below the stage that they can't get back. However, they tend to be extremely effective KO moves - recovery from most Spikes tends to be impossible at damages near or above 40%. Because of this, many smashers (particularly those who main characters with good Spikes, like Falco, Ganondorf, and Marth) try to integrate Spikes into play as often as possible.

In Super Smash Bros.

Since there is no Meteor Canceling in the original Super Smash Bros., all attacks that deal downward knockback are considered Spikes.

• Captain Falcon - Down aerial
• Donkey Kong - Forward aerial and Down aerial
• Kirby - Down aerial and Final Cutter
• Mario - Mario Tornado (if the opponent's head is in contact with Mario's feet during the end of the animation)
• Ness - Down aerial
• Samus - Down aerial
• Yoshi - Forward aerial and Down aerial

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

With the introduction of Meteor Canceling in Melee, most attacks with downward knockback are in fact Meteor Smashes - in fact, only six characters are known to have true Spikes:

• Captain Falcon - Nipple spike (when the opponent is hit with the upper half of his body during his Down aerial)
• Falco - Down aerial
• Ganondorf - his Down Special Move, Wizard's Foot (if used in the air)
• Marth - Down aerial (NTSC only)
• Roy - Up Smash (if an airborne opponent is hit with the tip of the sword)
• Fox -Down aerial (often misbelieved to be a meteor smash, it is an fact, a spike. It cannot be meteor cancelled and you will not get any of the meteor smash bonuses for KOing someone with it. Also, if you hit an airborne wireframe in multi-man melee, it sends them at a mostly downward-diagonal trajectory like the other spikes. Meteor smashes on the other hand, send opponents at a pure downward trajectory.) Even though it is a spike, it's impractical as it produces no knockback except on lower handicapped opponents.

See also

• Meteor Smash - an attack that deals downward knockback but that can be recovered from through Meteor Canceling.
• Semi-spike - a move that hits the opponent at a very low angle, minimizing recovery opportunities.
• Shine spike - a Fox technique that uses his Reflector to Spike opponents.
• Stage spike - a Spike performed by bouncing an opponent off an angled part of a stage to send them downward.