Sakurai angle
The Sakurai angle is a special knockback angle programmed into certain attacks in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. While it reads in the game data as an angle of 361 degrees, the actual resulting angle is dependent on whether the victim is on the ground or in the air, as well as the strength of the knockback.
When hitting an aerial opponent in both Melee and Brawl the angle is simply 45 at all times.
Against someone grounded, however, the angle depends on the amount of knockback. In Melee, the angle is 0 when the knockback is below 32 (0.96 launch speed), and is a 44 angle when 32.1 and above (0.963 LS). Between this extremely small range from 32 to 32.1 the angle transitions from 0 to 44. In Brawl, it is a 0 angle when it is below 60 (1.8 LS), and a 37 angle when it is 88 and higher (2.64 LS). Between 60 and 88 knockback, a far larger range compared to Melee's yet still relatively small, it quickly scales up from 0 to 37. As a point of reference, attacks will begin to induce tumble when the knockback is 80 or higher (2.4 LS), which in Brawl's case has an angle of around 27.68.
The Sakurai angle does not correctly tilt the impending angle indicator; it will remain at a flat angle.
As its angle is 37 in Brawl, when hitting a grounded foe the Sakurai angle is near the semi-spike threshold.
The angle's name is derived from the fact that in Brawl it has a natural 11% chance of Prat Falling, whether the move is given a trip chance or not. This is actually a misnomer, however, as the chance to trip is not tied to the angle itself and originates from the damage action 0 angles have the victim go into while grounded and below tumble (action 0x43), which has this base trip chance tied into it. Any other angle that is horizontal or lower will share this same base chance to trip. As Masahiro Sakurai is slightly infamous for making tripping existent in Brawl, the angle was first discovered in Brawl, and was believed to have its own trip rate attached to it, it is hence named after him. It is unknown if the angle exists in SSB.
