SSBM Icon.png
SSBB Icon.png
SSB4 Icon.png
SSBU Icon.png

Air dodge

From SmashWiki, the Super Smash Bros. wiki
(Redirected from Air dodging)
Jump to navigationJump to search
Yoshi performing an air dodge in Ultimate.

An air dodge (or EscapeAir by internal Brawl files) is a technique introduced in Super Smash Bros. Melee that gives temporary intangibility frames to the user in the air, preventing attacks from hitting them. It can be described as spot dodging in midair.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]

Fox air dodging in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Fox air dodges to avoid Samus's Charge Shot in Melee.

In Melee, an air dodge is performed by fully pressing the L or R button while in the air. Air dodges cannot be done if the character is tumbling or reeling. The air dodge halts the character's momentum; if the control stick is not tilted, it leaves the character hovering in place for most of its duration, and if the control stick is tilted, it gives the character a small boost in the chosen direction. This boost can aid one's recovery, though characters cannot grab ledges until the air dodge's animation ends. Furthermore, most up specials outreach the air dodge, making it more beneficial for getting back to the stage quickly from a short distance.

After air dodging, characters enter a helpless state and fall to the ground. While air dodging, pressing the attack button while holding the shield button also allows the player to grab any nearby items, as well as use grab aerials with characters that have one: this is known as air dodge grabbing.

Air dodging into the ground is known as wavelanding, which is the primary component of the wavedash.

Using air dodges as a recovery[edit]

Real time animation of Mario air dodging in Melee.

An angled recovery is the opposite of wavedashing, since the player angles the control stick up. An angled recovery is useful when a player gets knocked off a stage that has multiple platforms, such as Temple.

In order to perform an angled recovery, the player must hold the control stick up diagonally and air dodge. The angled recovery has less lag time compared to a character's normal recovery, and it can't be negated as easily due to the intangibility it grants, but it generally doesn't go as far as a character's usual recovery move. The angled recovery is effective when the character's second jump isn't enough to make it back to the stage, but is close enough for where an air dodge will cover the remaining recovery distance. This can also be pulled off at far distances only if they're at a very high altitude. If the character is too far away, however, they will fall and self-destruct.

While angled recoveries do not provide more height or distance than standard recovery options, they still see use by multiple characters in the cast. Jigglypuff, Yoshi, and a solo Ice Climber benefit from the tactic since their up special moves do not give any recovery distance, and in the cases of Jigglypuff and the solo Ice Climber, the air dodge gives more vertical distance than their side specials. Ness also benefits from this tactic in cases where he's near the ledge but his mid-air jump was not enough to get him back, air dodging is a much safer recovery option, or on stages with narrow pits (such as Fourside) as he needs room to use PK Thunder to recover. In addition, while Samus, Link and Young Link boast relatively long and flexible recovery options, the angled recovery can allow for the trio to use their wall grapple during the ascent of the dodge; as players can air dodge in any direction, it can also be used to get the character closer to the stage in order to decrease their distance from a wall. Outside of this, most of the cast may elect to use angle recoveries in order to combat some edgeguard techniques that do not include edgehogging; air dodging into a ledge, for instance, can counter a player who is charging an attack on the edge of a stage.

Air dodge intangibility and animation length in Melee[edit]

Grabbing the ledge is possible as soon the animation length is over.

Character Animation Length Intangible Frames Intangible Duration
DrMarioHeadSSBM.png Dr. Mario 48 4-29 26 frames
MarioHeadSSBM.png Mario 48 4-29 26 frames
LuigiHeadSSBM.png Luigi 48 4-29 26 frames
BowserHeadSSBM.png Bowser 49 3-29 27 frames
PeachHeadSSBM.png Peach 49 4-19 16 frames
YoshiHeadSSBM.png Yoshi 49 4-29 26 frames
DonkeyKongHeadSSBM.png Donkey Kong 49 4-29 26 frames
CaptainFalconHeadSSBM.png Captain Falcon 49 4-29 26 frames
GanondorfHeadSSBM.png Ganondorf 49 4-29 26 frames
FalcoHeadSSBM.png Falco 49 4-29 26 frames
FoxHeadSSBM.png Fox 49 4-29 26 frames
IceClimbersHeadSSBM.png Ice Climbers 48 4-29 26 frames
NessHeadSSBM.png Ness 48 4-29 26 frames
KirbyHeadSSBM.png Kirby 49 4-29 26 frames
SamusHeadSSBM.png Samus 49 4-29 26 frames
ZeldaHeadSSBM.png Zelda 49 4-19 16 frames
SheikHeadSSBM.png Sheik 49 4-29 26 frames
LinkHeadSSBM.png Link 49 4-29 26 frames
YoungLinkHeadSSBM.png Young Link 49 4-29 26 frames
PichuHeadSSBM.png Pichu 49 4-29 26 frames
PikachuHeadSSBM.png Pikachu 49 4-29 26 frames
JigglypuffHeadSSBM.png Jigglypuff 49 4-29 26 frames
MewtwoHeadSSBM.png Mewtwo 39 4-29 26 frames
MrGame&WatchHeadSSBM.png Mr. Game & Watch 49 4-29 26 frames
RoyHeadSSBM.png Roy 49 4-29 26 frames
MarthHeadSSBM.png Marth 49 4-29 26 frames

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

Snake air dodging in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Snake performing an air dodge in Brawl.

In Brawl, the air dodge has been revamped. It no longer halts the character's momentum and no longer permits the user to nudge the character by pressing the control stick; it simply grants brief intangiblity along the character's current line of movement. Following the air dodge, characters are put in their regular aerial state rather than the helpless state, and thus may attack, jump, or air dodge again following their initial air dodge.

The air dodge can now also be used when a character is tumbling or reeling, and with the introduction of hitstun canceling, characters can air dodge out of these states 13 frames after being hit, regardless of the amount of hitstun received. This is often employed by players to enable action quicker than waiting out their knockback and to limit reliance on teching. Using the air dodge at this time does not reduce knockback, a rumor that was started when it was noticed that higher-level CPUs were doing it constantly. However, an air dodge can be used for momentum canceling, and in some cases, such as Ike and Snake, it is their best option, since they yield better results using an air dodge when momentum canceling than their shortest-lasting aerial (both of their air dodges end in 39 frames, while their shortest-lasting aerials last just a few frames longer, and despite the minuscule difference, air dodging is still their best option nonetheless). In addition, they also gain the most benefit when momentum canceling using the basic method.

Air dodges now cause characters to automatically catch any item nearby during the first frames (unless they are holding one already), without having to press the attack button like in Melee. However, this also means characters can no longer grab items at any time of the air dodge, only the beginning.

Air dodge intangibility and lag in Brawl[edit]

The table here displays the frame data for the air dodge of every Brawl character. Every character has a certain amount of frames taken to perform an air dodge, and the intangibility frames starts and ends in between the total frames taken. Most characters' intangibility usually starts on frame 4 and end about 10 or 20 frames before the end of the entire air dodge; however, there are a few exceptions.

Characters Intangibility Frames Total Frames Intangible Duration
MetaKnightHeadSSBB.png Meta Knight 4-29 39 26 frames
ZeroSuitSamusHeadSSBB.png Zero Suit Samus 4-29 39 26 frames
DiddyKongHeadSSBB.png Diddy Kong 4-29 39 26 frames
PitHeadSSBB.png Pit 4-29 39 26 frames
SquirtleHeadSSBB.png Squirtle 4-29 39 26 frames
IvysaurHeadSSBB.png Ivysaur 4-29 39 26 frames
CharizardHeadSSBB.png Charizard 4-29 39 26 frames
IkeHeadSSBB.png Ike 4-29 39 26 frames
SnakeHeadSSBB.png Snake 4-29 39 26 frames
KingDededeHeadSSBB.png King Dedede 4-29 39 26 frames
LucarioHeadSSBB.png Lucario 4-29 39 26 frames
WarioHeadSSBB.png Wario 4-29 39 26 frames
ROBHeadSSBB.png R.O.B. 4-29 39 26 frames
OlimarHeadSSBB.png Olimar 4-29 39 26 frames
IceClimbersHeadSSBB.png Ice Climbers 4-29 48 26 frames
NessHeadSSBB.png Ness 4-29 48 26 frames
SonicHeadSSBB.png Sonic 4-29 48 26 frames
LucasHeadSSBB.png Lucas 4-29 48 26 frames
BowserHeadSSBB.png Bowser 4-30 49 27 frames
MarioHeadSSBB.png Mario 4-29 49 26 frames
DonkeyKongHeadSSBB.png Donkey Kong 4-29 49 26 frames
LinkHeadSSBB.png Link 4-29 49 26 frames
SamusHeadSSBB.png Samus 4-29 49 26 frames
KirbyHeadSSBB.png Kirby 4-29 49 26 frames
FoxHeadSSBB.png Fox 4-29 49 26 frames
PikachuHeadSSBB.png Pikachu 4-29 49 26 frames
MrGame&WatchHeadSSBB.png Mr. Game & Watch 4-29 49 26 frames
LuigiHeadSSBB.png Luigi 4-29 49 26 frames
ZeldaHeadSSBB.png Zelda 4-29 49 26 frames
SheikHeadSSBB.png Sheik 4-29 49 26 frames
FalcoHeadSSBB.png Falco 4-29 49 26 frames
YoshiHeadSSBB.png Yoshi 4-29 49 26 frames
GanondorfHeadSSBB.png Ganondorf 4-29 49 26 frames
WolfHeadSSBB.png Wolf 4-29 49 26 frames
ToonLinkHeadSSBB.png Toon Link 4-29 49 26 frames
CaptainFalconHeadSSBB.png Captain Falcon 4-29 49 26 frames
JigglypuffHeadSSBB.png Jigglypuff 4-29 49 26 frames
MarthHeadSSBB.png Marth 5-30 49 26 frames
PeachHeadSSBB.png Peach 4-19 49 16 frames

In Super Smash Bros. 4[edit]

In Smash 4, air dodges have significantly less ending lag, now lasting from 28 to 34 frames (depending on the character, with only Bayonetta's air dodge lasting a longer time of 36 frames), compared to the previous games' 39 to 49 frames. This allows characters to execute many air dodges in quick succession to avoid attacks, as well as safely use attacks out of them; players can now jump, go through an opponent's attack with an air dodge, then retaliate with an attack or their own. This is especially beneficial for characters with quick aerial attacks, as they can do them along with an air dodge in a short hop. Jigglypuff also finds easier opportunities landing its Rest in this way. However, air dodges now produce a significant landing lag of 21 frames as the character lands with an air dodge active, even during vulnerability frames, making air dodges easier to punish on land, and thus riskier to use close to the ground. To prevent this, some characters can use an aerial attack in order to replace the air dodge's landing lag with the aerial's autocancel, a technique known as "dodge cancelling", though this requires precise timing. Some characters can also ledge cancel their air dodge to avoid significant landing lag. Unlike in Brawl, however, it isn't possible to cancel hitstun with an air dodge until the receiver takes 41 or more frames of hitstun (often between 80 and 90%) - resulting in combos being easier, but safe juggles being more difficult to pull off.

Both the shield button and the grab button (when used in midair by a character without a grab aerial) allow players to air dodge. In past installments, the grab button would cause the fighter to use a neutral aerial.

Air dodge intangibility and lag in Smash 4[edit]

The table here displays the frame data for the air dodge of every character in the current version of both Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Before version 1.0.4 of Smash 3DS, Wii Fit Trainer had only 12 landing lag frames from an air dodge, while Zero Suit Samus had 15; these were later changed to the standard 21 frames used for all other characters.

Characters Intangibility Frames Total Frames Intangible Duration
Mewtwo's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Mewtwo 2-24 28 23 frames
Fox's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Fox 2-25 30 24 frames
Little Mac's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Little Mac 2-25 30 24 frames
Meta Knight's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Meta Knight 2-25 30 24 frames
Pikachu's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Pikachu 2-25 30 24 frames
Sheik's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Sheik 2-25 30 24 frames
Sonic's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Sonic 2-25 30 24 frames
Toon Link's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Toon Link 2-25 30 24 frames
Zero Suit Samus's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Zero Suit Samus 2-25 30 24 frames
Dark Pit's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Dark Pit 2-26 31 25 frames
Diddy Kong's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Diddy Kong 2-26 31 25 frames
Duck Hunt's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Duck Hunt 2-26 31 25 frames
Falco's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Falco 2-26 31 25 frames
Greninja's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Greninja 2-26 31 25 frames
Mr. Game & Watch's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Mr. Game & Watch 2-26 31 25 frames
Pit's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Pit 2-26 31 25 frames
Wii Fit Trainer's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Wii Fit Trainer 2-26 31 25 frames
Lucario's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Lucario 2-25 31 24 frames
CorrinHeadSSB4-U.png Corrin 3-27 32 25 frames
Dr. Mario's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Dr. Mario 3-27 32 25 frames
Kirby's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Kirby 3-27 32 25 frames
Lucina's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Lucina 3-27 32 25 frames
Luigi's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Luigi 3-27 32 25 frames
Mario's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Mario 3-27 32 25 frames
Marth's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Marth 3-27 32 25 frames
Mii Brawler's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Mii Brawler 3-27 32 25 frames
Mii Gunner's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Mii Gunner 3-27 32 25 frames
Olimar's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Olimar 3-27 32 25 frames
Pac-Man's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Pac-Man 3-27 32 25 frames
R.O.B.'s stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. R.O.B. 3-27 32 25 frames
Rosalina and Luma's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Rosalina & Luma 3-27 32 25 frames
RoyHeadSSB4-U.png Roy 3-27 32 25 frames
SamusHeadSSB4-U.png Samus 3-27 32 25 frames
Wario's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Wario 3-27 32 25 frames
Bowser Jr.'s stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Bowser Jr. 3-28 33 26 frames
Captain Falcon's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Captain Falcon 3-28 33 26 frames
Charizard's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Charizard 3-28 33 26 frames
CloudHeadSSB4-U.png Cloud 3-28 33 26 frames
Ike's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Ike 3-28 33 26 frames
Link's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Link 3-28 33 26 frames
LucasHeadSSB4-U.png Lucas 3-28 33 26 frames
Mega Man's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Mega Man 3-28 33 26 frames
Mii Swordfighter's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Mii Swordfighter 3-28 33 26 frames
Ness's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Ness 3-28 33 26 frames
Palutena's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Palutena 3-28 33 26 frames
Peach's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Peach 3-28 33 26 frames
Robin's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Robin 3-28 33 26 frames
Shulk's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Shulk 3-28 33 26 frames
Villager's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Villager 3-28 33 26 frames
Yoshi's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Yoshi 3-28 33 26 frames
Zelda's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Zelda 3-28 33 26 frames
RyuHeadSSB4-U.png Ryu 4-25 33 22 frames
Bowser's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Bowser 4-29 34 26 frames
Donkey Kong's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Donkey Kong 4-29 34 26 frames
Ganondorf's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Ganondorf 4-29 34 26 frames
Jigglypuff's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Jigglypuff 4-29 34 26 frames
King Dedede's stock icon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. King Dedede 4-29 34 26 frames
BayonettaHeadSSB4-U.png Bayonetta[1] 5-27 36 23 frames

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

Pac-Man's air dodge in Ultimate.

In Ultimate, air dodges have received a major overhaul, containing elements from all previous games. Depending on the player's control stick input, characters can use two types of air dodges:

  • If no direction is held, they perform a neutral air dodge (known as simply Air Dodge officially, and EscapeAir internally), which behaves like air dodges in Brawl and Smash 4, preserving their momentum. Compared to Smash 4, these air dodges have much more ending lag (with an average duration of 49-50 frames, up from 32-33 frames), but their landing lag is effectively halved (10 frames, down from 21), and they grant slightly more intangibility (two additional frames for most characters). This causes them to be much more punishable if used high above the ground or offstage, but safer to land with.
  • If a direction is held, they perform a directional air dodge (known as a Moving Air Dodge officially, and EscapeAirSlide internally) that propels them in that direction, much like air dodges in Melee, except without causing helplessness. However, instead of immediately moving in that direction and stalling in the air for most of the air dodge, characters first shift a small distance towards the opposite direction in a slingshot fashion (such as left and upward if the air dodge was aimed right and downward), then receive the full momentum in the chosen direction and begin to fall shortly afterwards. Compared to neutral air dodges, directional air dodges are more consistently useful for escaping aerial pressure due to their moving property, and can grab ledges shortly after their intangibility ends, giving them utility in recovery. However, they grant less intangibility and have much more ending lag (with a total duration of over a full second for all characters), as well as landing lag, which increases the earlier the character lands (ranging from 11 to 19 frames). As a result, they are more punishable than neutral air dodges if used improperly, while their high ending lag prevents them from being used before characters' jumps or special moves to aid recovery.

Air dodging has now received two major limitations. Characters can only air dodge once until they land, get hit, or grab a ledge; this includes the inability to use a directional air dodge after a neutral air dodge, and vice versa. Additionally, like rolls and spot dodges, they are affected by a staleness mechanic that decreases the intangibility frames of both air dodge types if any kind of dodge is used repeatedly, as well as the distance granted by directional ones. However, unlike rolls and spot dodges, their ending lag is not increased by the mechanic.

The drastic changes to air dodges significantly weaken them as a defensive option, as characters can no longer air dodge attacks multiple times in midair, nor quickly strike back at opponents with their own attacks after an air dodge. This also makes them much harder to use offstage, with directional air dodges in particular often guaranteeing a self-destruct if the player uses them at any height below the stage. As a result, aerial pressure (such as juggling) and offstage edgeguarding are more commonplace than in Smash 4, with options to negate them being more limited. However, due to their lower landing lag and the directional version's ability to grab ledges, air dodges are more effective as a recovery mixup and for getting out of disadvantageous positions if used during the right circumstances. Moreover, characters with recovery special moves that do not cause helplessness, such as R.O.B., Snake, and Sonic, or grant little distance, such as Jigglypuff and Yoshi, benefit from directional air dodges, as they can achieve longer distances at their fullest recovery potential. Overall, air dodges remain useful, but their reckless or repeated use is much more discouraged, instead rewarding players that can use them at opportune moments.

With the reintroduction of directional air dodges, wavedashing can once again be performed, alongside wavelanding. However, due to their new slingshot properties, which prevent characters from landing with them immediately after leaving the ground, as well as their higher landing lag and the increased traction across the cast, wavedashing has essentially lost all of its utility for approaching and spacing. Air dodges can also no longer be ledge canceled, hindering wavelanding mixups.

In addition to playable characters, several Assist Trophies have gained the ability to perform directional air dodges, making it more difficult for players to KO them.

Air dodge intangibility and lag in Ultimate[edit]

Unlike in previous games, where the duration of each character's air dodge was arbitrary, air dodges in Ultimate have their durations sorted across the cast so that every character falls approximately the same distance when air dodging. As a result, characters have shorter air dodges the higher their falling speed and gravity; following this correlation, Fox has the shortest ones in the game, whereas Jigglypuff has the longest ones. Likewise, directional air dodges have a longer duration if angled upward, and a shorter duration if angled downward.

Directional air dodges grant less intangibility than neutral air dodges, and both types grant intangibility three frames later if fully stale. Regardless of staleness, all characters can grab edges after the first 24 frames of their directional air dodge, resulting in most of them being vulnerable for only 3 frames if they grab an edge as soon as possible, discounting the 2-frame vulnerability period.

Characters Neutral air dodges Directional air dodges
Intangibility frames Total frames Intangibility frames Total frames
Fresh Fully stale Fresh Fully stale Side Up Down Diagonally Up Diagonally Down
BowserJrHeadSSBU.png Bowser Jr. (Abandon Ship!)[2] 3-30 3-30 33 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
FoxHeadSSBU.png Fox 2-26 5-24 38 2-19 5-18 64 75 54 70 59
MiiBrawlerHeadSSBU.png Mii Brawler 3-29 6-27 40 3-21 6-20 70 86 58 80 65
GreninjaHeadSSBU.png Greninja 2-27 5-25 41 2-19 5-18 71 85 60 78 67
PiranhaPlantHeadSSBU.png Piranha Plant 3-30 6-27 42 3-21 6-20 69 88 58 81 66
PichuHeadSSBU.png Pichu 2-26 5-24 42 2-19 5-18 70 88 60 80 65
CaptainFalconHeadSSBU.png Captain Falcon 3-30 6-27 42 3-21 6-20 72 94 62 85 66
KingDededeHeadSSBU.png King Dedede 4-32 7-29 43 4-23 7-22 72 96 58 86 66
FalcoHeadSSBU.png Falco 2-27 5-25 43 2-20 5-19 73 94 61 85 67
WolfHeadSSBU.png Wolf 2-26 5-24 44 2-20 5-19 73 93 61 84 68
SheikHeadSSBU.png Sheik 2-26 5-24 44 2-19 5-18 74 93 63 85 67
DiddyKongHeadSSBU.png Diddy Kong 2-27 5-25 44 2-19 5-18 74 96 62 86 68
ChromHeadSSBU.png Chrom 3-29 6-27 44 3-21 6-20 74 97 62 87 68
RoyHeadSSBU.png Roy 3-29 6-27 44 3-21 6-20 74 97 62 87 68
IncineroarHeadSSBU.png Incineroar 3-29 6-27 44 3-21 6-20 76 96 63 86 72
Sephiroth's stock icon. Sephiroth 3-30 6-27 44 3-21 6-20 74 97 61 86 69
MythraHeadSSBU.png Mythra[3] 6-33 9-30 44 6-21 9-23 73 95 59 85 66
BayonettaHeadSSBU.png Bayonetta[4] 5-31 8-29 45 5-21 8-21 74 93 63 85 69
Banjo&KazooieHeadSSBU.png Banjo & Kazooie 3-30 6-27 45 3-21 6-20 75 97 62 88 69
MegaManHeadSSBU.png Mega Man 3-30 6-27 45 3-21 6-20 76 98 63 84 70
YoungLinkHeadSSBU.png Young Link 2-26 5-24 45 2-19 5-18 76 100 63 90 70
ZeroSuitSamusHeadSSBU.png Zero Suit Samus 2-26 5-24 45 2-19 5-18 80 98 65 90 73
BowserHeadSSBU.png Bowser 4-32 7-29 46 4-22 7-21 75 95 63 88 67
RichterHeadSSBU.png Richter 3-29 6-27 46 3-21 6-20 76 104 62 90 69
SimonHeadSSBU.png Simon 3-29 6-27 46 3-21 6-20 76 104 62 90 69
RidleyHeadSSBU.png Ridley 3-31 6-28 46 3-22 6-21 78 103 64 90 73
KingKRoolHeadSSBU.png King K. Rool 4-30 7-28 46 4-22 7-21 78 102 64 88 74
GanondorfHeadSSBU.png Ganondorf 4-32 7-29 46 4-22 7-21 79 103 66 91 73
JokerHeadSSBU.png Joker 3-30 6-27 47 3-21 6-20 83 100 67 90 73
MetaKnightHeadSSBU.png Meta Knight 2-26 5-24 47 2-19 5-18 80 101 66 94 74
CloudHeadSSBU.png Cloud 3-30 6-27 47 3-21 6-20 79 104 64 94 72
SnakeHeadSSBU.png Snake 4-28 7-26 47 4-22 7-21 81 108 64 99 75
LucarioHeadSSBU.png Lucario 3-28 6-26 48 3-21 6-20 91 108 65 98 74
BowserJrHeadSSBU.png Bowser Jr. 3-30 6-27 48 3-21 6-20 82 108 67 93 77
DonkeyKongHeadSSBU.png Donkey Kong 4-32 7-29 48 4-22 7-21 82 109 66 88 73
KazuyaHeadSSBU.png Kazuya 3-31 6-28 48 3-22 5-20 79 101 65 93 75
KenHeadSSBU.png Ken 3-27 6-25 49 3-21 6-20 80 102 67 89 73
RyuHeadSSBU.png Ryu 3-27 6-25 49 3-21 6-20 80 102 67 89 73
LittleMacHeadSSBU.png Little Mac 2-26 5-24 49 2-18 5-18 72 89 62 81 64
CorrinHeadSSBU.png Corrin 3-29 6-27 49 3-21 6-20 81 107 67 97 75
IkeHeadSSBU.png Ike 4-31 7-28 49 4-22 7-21 82 108 66 96 76
PalutenaHeadSSBU.png Palutena 3-30 6-27 49 3-21 6-20 82 105 70 93 77
ShulkHeadSSBU.png Shulk 3-30 6-27 49 3-21 6-20 83 107 68 95 77
LinkHeadSSBU.png Link 3-30 6-27 49 3-21 6-20 82 108 69 95 74
DuckHuntHeadSSBU.png Duck Hunt 3-27 6-25 49 3-21 6-20 83 113 66 100 78
CharizardHeadSSBU.png Charizard 3-30 6-27 49 3-22 6-21 85 105 70 99 78
BylethHeadSSBU.png Byleth 3-30 6-27 49 3-21 6-20 83 111 68 97 76
PyraHeadSSBU.png Pyra 3-30 6-27 49 3-21 6-20 83 109 68 97 75
WarioHeadSSBU.png Wario 3-29 6-27 50 3-21 6-20 82 104 66 97 75
SonicHeadSSBU.png Sonic 2-26 5-24 50 2-19 5-18 81 107 66 99 74
ROBHeadSSBU.png R.O.B. 3-29 6-27 50 3-21 6-20 83 111 68 100 75
InklingHeadSSBU.png Inkling 3-29 6-27 50 3-21 6-20 84 112 70 100 76
MiiSwordfighterHeadSSBU.png Mii Swordfighter 3-30 6-27 50 3-21 6-20 84 107 69 99 77
HeroHeadSSBU.png Hero 3-30 6-27 50 3-21 6-20 83 109 69 92 78
PikachuHeadSSBU.png Pikachu 2-26 5-24 50 2-19 5-18 85 109 69 97 76
MinMinHeadSSBU.png Min Min 3-30 6-27 50 3-21 6-20 85 107 71 97 78
MewtwoHeadSSBU.png Mewtwo 3-26 6-24 51 3-21 6-20 85 114 70 101 79
TerryHeadSSBU.png Terry 3-30 6-27 51 3-21 6-20 88 115 72 89 81
RobinHeadSSBU.png Robin 3-30 6-27 51 3-21 6-20 86 114 73 103 79
DrMarioHeadSSBU.png Dr. Mario 3-29 6-27 52 3-21 6-20 87 116 71 100 81
MarioHeadSSBU.png Mario 3-29 6-27 52 3-21 6-20 87 116 71 102 77
LucinaHeadSSBU.png Lucina 3-29 6-27 52 3-21 6-20 85 116 69 99 79
MarthHeadSSBU.png Marth 3-29 6-27 52 3-21 6-20 85 116 69 99 79
MiiGunnerHeadSSBU.png Mii Gunner 3-29 6-27 52 3-21 6-20 87 114 73 103 82
DarkPitHeadSSBU.png Dark Pit 3-29 6-27 52 3-21 6-20 89 119 73 110 82
PitHeadSSBU.png Pit 3-29 6-27 52 3-21 6-20 89 119 73 110 82
SquirtleHeadSSBU.png Squirtle 2-26 5-24 53 2-19 5-18 90 114 79 105 87
Steve's stock icon. Steve 3-30 6-27 54 3-21 6-20 92 121 75 108 82
Pac-ManHeadSSBU.png Pac-Man 3-29 6-27 55 3-21 6-20 96 130 78 111 87
SoraHeadSSBU.png Sora 3-31 5-28 55 3-22 5-20 93 130 75 108 84
ToonLinkHeadSSBU.png Toon Link 2-26 5-24 56 2-19 5-18 93 123 76 111 85
IvysaurHeadSSBU.png Ivysaur 3-29 6-27 56 3-21 6-20 93 124 76 110 84
LucasHeadSSBU.png Lucas 3-30 6-27 56 3-21 6-20 95 126 75 117 85
ZeldaHeadSSBU.png Zelda 3-30 6-27 56 3-21 6-20 96 129 77 114 86
DarkSamusHeadSSBU.png Dark Samus 3-29 6-27 56 3-21 6-20 96 130 80 113 86
SamusHeadSSBU.png Samus 3-29 6-27 56 3-21 6-20 96 130 80 113 86
WiiFitTrainerHeadSSBU.png Wii Fit Trainer 3-28 6-26 57 3-21 6-20 96 124 80 107 88
LuigiHeadSSBU.png Luigi 3-29 6-27 57 3-21 6-20 96 127 81 113 88
VillagerHeadSSBU.png Villager 3-30 6-27 57 3-21 6-20 96 128 80 111 87
OlimarHeadSSBU.png Olimar 3-29 6-27 57 3-21 6-20 96 132 78 118 87
IceClimbersHeadSSBU.png Ice Climbers 3-28 6-26 58 3-21 6-20 96 129 81 115 86
YoshiHeadSSBU.png Yoshi 3-30 6-27 58 3-21 6-20 107 130 79 116 89
IsabelleHeadSSBU.png Isabelle 3-30 6-27 58 3-21 6-20 97 133 80 115 91
NessHeadSSBU.png Ness 3-30 6-27 59 3-21 6-20 99 134 77 119 86
MrGame&WatchHeadSSBU.png Mr. Game & Watch 3-28 6-26 59 3-21 6-20 100 132 84 123 93
DaisyHeadSSBU.png Daisy 3-30 6-27 61 3-21 6-20 103 141 86 124 92
PeachHeadSSBU.png Peach 3-30 6-27 61 3-21 6-20 103 141 86 124 92
KirbyHeadSSBU.png Kirby 3-29 6-27 62 3-21 6-20 102 141 82 134 91
Rosalina&LumaHeadSSBU.png Rosalina & Luma 3-29 6-27 62 3-21 6-20 105 144 86 124 94
JigglypuffHeadSSBU.png Jigglypuff 4-32 7-29 63 4-22 7-21 106 158 85 132 96

Update history[edit]

1.1.0[edit]
  • Nerf Bowser Jr.'s Abandon Ship! air dodge can no longer be used more than once.
6.0.0[edit]
  • Buff Jigglypuff's neutral air dodge total frames: 74 → 63
  • Buff Jigglypuff's directional air dodge total frames: 122 (side)/174 (up)/102 (down) → 106/158/85
11.0.0[edit]
  • Nerf Min Min's neutral air dodge has more ending lag (FAF 40 → 51), matching the rest of the cast.
12.0.0[edit]
  • Nerf Mythra's directional air dodge intangibility frames: 6-24 → 6-21

Directional air dodge distance[edit]

All characters receive the same amount of momentum from their directional air dodges, with the exception of Lucas, Ness and Mythra, who receive more, and Bayonetta, Steve, Pyra and Little Mac, who receive less, the latter receiving the least momentum out of the cast. As a result, the former have better opportunities to escape juggles and, when close to an edge, can use their air dodges for recovery as a more reliable alternative to their up special, which can be easily interrupted by opponents. Conversely, the latter are more vulnerable to juggling and cannot avoid edgeguards as effectively by air dodging to the ledge; while Bayonetta benefits from directional air dodging regardless due to her recovery special moves not causing helplessness, Little Mac is noticeably hindered in comparison to the rest of the cast, especially given his infamously poor air game.

All directional air dodges have their distance reduced by roughly 33.3% when fully stale.

Character Distance
Fresh Fully stale
LucasHeadSSBU.png Lucas
NessHeadSSBU.png Ness
25 16.6667
MythraHeadSSBU.png Mythra 24 16
Everyone else 20 13.3333
BayonettaHeadSSBU.png Bayonetta
Steve's stock icon. Steve
17 11.3333
PyraHeadSSBU.png Pyra 16 10.6666
LittleMacHeadSSBU.png Little Mac 15 10

Air dodge landing lag glitch[edit]

The air dodge landing lag glitch is a glitch in Ultimate that causes special moves that place the user into a helpless state to have their landing lag reduced to approximately 1/3 of the original landing lag. This glitch is executed by first performing an uninterrupted air dodge and then using the specified special move and landing on the ground after turning helpless. The only exception is Duck Hunt, who must cancel Duck Jump using an air dodge. They will turn helpless directly after air dodging, and the glitch will be triggered on landing. The affected special moves are listed below.

Notably, none of the special moves listed above are coded to have FAF frames in the designated character's moveset files. Instead all of them have the default landing lag, which is 29 frames for all characters except for Mythra, whose landing lag is instead 18 frames.

List of Assist Trophies with directional air dodges[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Bat Within activates on frames 1-4
  2. ^ Bowser Jr. is unique in that after using Abandon Ship!, he possesses a different air dodge that is nearly identical to his Smash 4 one, except it grants two more intangibility frames and cannot be used more than once. This effectively gives him the fastest and overall most effective air dodge in the game, but only under a specific circumstance. Much like Smash 4 air dodges, it is not affected by the dodge staleness mechanic, and its use does not contribute to it, but it lacks a directional variant.
  3. ^ Foresight activates on frames 2–5, assuming unstaled air dodges
  4. ^ Bat Within activates on frames 1–4, assuming unstaled air dodges