Taunt
A taunt is a move designed to provoke, annoy, or mock opponents, or to just celebrate a good move or combo. Up until Brawl, there was a limit of one taunt per character. In Brawl, however, each character has at least three different taunts. To use a taunt, in SSB, one must press the L button, or in Melee, up on the Directional-Pad (or "D-pad"). In Brawl, the direction one pressed on the D-pad (or the buttons on the Wii-Remote) influences which taunt is used. Interestingly, Luigi and Snake are, so far, the only characters who's taunt can inflict damage.
Pichu in Melee and C. Falcon's "Show me your moves" taunts had two different animation depending on what direction they were facing. Also, Wario has an extra taunt when he is riding his bike (used by pressing any of the taunt buttons. Some characters, such as Captain Falcon or Kirby, have taunts so annoying or odd that they become internet memes.
Each taunt is different between every character. However, there is one thing certain with taunts. Taunts will always have the character doing a motion (such as dancing), and the character may also speak or yell out a battle cry. Some people take advantage of taunts where characters talk within Taunt Matches.
Marth is the only character in non-Japanese versions of the series that still speaks Japanese. However, some "speaking" taunts change between languages. A notable example is Jigglypuff, whose dialogue changes to reflect its name in other languages, such as its Japanese name, "Purin."
