Item throw
An item throw is an attack, performed when the character is holding an item, and then pressing the grab button. Depending on the Analog Stick's position, the direction and strength of the throw will be different. The player can throw an item while in midair or on the ground.
Directions and strength
The player may choose to throw the item in one of 5 directions, although the last is not exactly a throw: up, left, right, down, and none. When the grab button is simply pressed without a direction being inputted, the fighter will drop the weapon, if it can be dropped. It is this feature when used in mid air that forms the basis for bat dropping.
If a direction is inputted, the fighter will throw it in the same direction. The item can be thrown in 2 different strengths: smash (grab and direction are pressed at the same time) or tilt (the direction is held before pressing grab). While on the ground, the player can even throw an item while dashing.
Damage
The damage done by thrown items is usually dependent on how fast the item is moving at the time of impact; this is the only reason smash throws are stronger than tilt ones. In SSB64, the formula is base + (speed * 0.1), while the damage is halved if the item is simply dropped instead of thrown;[1] the formula in the other games is likely similar if not identical. There are some items, however, who's damage is determined differently, for example, in Smash 4 Pac Man's bonus fruit damage is consistent throughout the whole duration the item is moving for, independent of how fast it is moving, with the absolute damage dealt by the fruit being determined by which fruit it is, and the item toss strength of the fighter who threw it.
Delay
There is a small delay animation in each character prior to throwing an item. This delay is not equal in all characters. Some characters including Link, Mario, and Donkey Kong throw their items more quickly than Marth, Pikachu, and Bowser.
List of droppable items
- Beam Sword
- Lip's Stick
- Star Rod
- Parasol
- Fire Bar
- Ore Club
- Home-Run Bat
- Fan
- Super Scope
- Ray Gun
- Fire Flower
- Cracker Launcher
- Drill
- Gust Bellows
- Steel Diver
- Cloaking Device
- Flipper
- Yoshi's Egg
- Special Flag
