 Mario's down smash in Melee.  The first part of Ganondorf's down smash, he kicks in front of him.  The second part, Ganondorf kicks behind him. Down smash (abbreviated d-smash) or down smash attack (下スマッシュ攻撃, Down/lower/under smash attack) is a smash attack performed by any character by tapping the Control Stick downward and pressing A at the same time or by pressing down on the C-stick. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the C-stick can not be used in one-player mode. It is generally an attack that hits low to the ground and hits on both sides of the character performing the attack.
Since Super Smash Bros. Melee, like all smash attacks it can be charged by holding down the A button for up to one second, resulting in higher damage and knockback. A typical attribute of a down smash is that they hit both the front and rear of the user, making them useful for coverage, and are generally the fastest smash attack for most characters. Most down smashes will attack the front and back in an alternating fashion, such as Mario's, where he does a spin to kick enemies, but a few can hit both areas at the same time, such as Fox's, where he does "the splits" to kick the area in front of and behind him in one motion, and a select few only hit in front of the user, as is the case with Lucas' and Mewtwo's. The disadvantage to most down smashes is that they tend to have lower knockback than either the character's up or forward smashes, and they have the least amount of flexibility out of all smash attacks in when they can be used, as they can only be performed while walking, standing, or crouching (a feat already shared with all other moves), while up smashes can be performed out of a run or jump (enabling it to be used out of shield with no delay), and forward smashes can be used during the first few frames of a dash or during a turn-around animation (in Smash 4 only).
| Character
|
Description
|
Damage
|
| Captain Falcon |
Extends his leg and twirls. If the attack connects closer to the body, the opponent will be sent upwards. If it connects with the tip, the opponent will be sent in a more horizontal direction. Move has short duration and deals more damage if the opponent is behind Captain Falcon. |
16%
|
| Donkey Kong |
Extends his legs while spinning. |
19%
|
| Fox |
Does a split kick. Is a great horizontal killer, or set-up for edge-related kills. |
14%
|
| Jigglypuff |
Does a split kick. The hitbox extends quite a bit beyond Jigglypuff's feet, and this disjointed hitbox is most often used for edge-guarding, as it allows the player to avoid getting hit by the recovering opponent while still being able to prevent the opponent from grabbing the ledge. |
16%
|
| Kirby |
Thrusts his legs out while spinning. |
18%
|
| Link |
Slashes in front of him, then behind him. Good range and speed, and can KO usually around 150%. Great for combo finishers. There is, however, some cooldown lag. |
16%
|
| Luigi |
Similar to Mario. Faster than Mario's, and good damage and power. |
17%
|
| Mario |
Does a breakdancing sweep. Mario swirls around while breakdancing on both sides. A decent spacing and KO-ing move. |
17% if it hits in the front.
|
| Ness |
Does a "walk the dog" with his yoyo. |
17%
|
| Pikachu |
Does a breakdancing sweep. Considered the strongest down smash in the game in terms of knockback. This is a slightly less powerful version of the side smash, and seldom used outside of mindgames. However, it is still very powerful and it can be used to punish excessive rolling. |
10-16%, where the forward hit does 16, and back hit does 13.
|
| Samus |
Extends her leg and twirls. Good spacing move or KO-ing if done near the ledge. |
16%.
|
| Yoshi |
Sweeps his tail around, weak horizontal knockback for a smash attack, and has some ending lag. |
14% on both sides
|
Note: In Smash 64, down smashes are generally considered the least useful smash attacks of the three for every character due to their lack of versatility outside of tech-chases and roll punishes.
| Character
|
Description
|
Damage
|
| Bowser |
Spins while inside his shell, doing great damage with multiple hits from his spines. Subpar range, can be DI'd out of, and has noticeable ending lag, but still powerful nonetheless. |
22% total
|
| Captain Falcon |
Kicks in front then behind himself. Small noticeable startup, but good speed and knockback. |
18% front, 16% back
|
| Donkey Kong |
Holds up his arms and punches downwards. Sweetspot is on the hands. |
16% hands, 14% arms
|
| Dr. Mario |
Similar to Mario, but with more knockback. |
18% front, 18% back
|
| Falco |
Similar to Fox. An excellent killer, with semi-spike properties, though it has rather low range. |
16% clean, 13% late
|
| Fox |
Does a split kick. It is fast and has moderate knockback. Useful for edgeguarding and spacing. |
15%
|
| Ganondorf |
Kicks in front, then behind him. Similar to Captain Falcon. Both hits chain together, but can DI out of the second hit. |
8% first hit, 12%/14% second hit
Total: 20%/22%
|
| Ice Climbers |
Swing their hammers around themselves in a 360° style. Fast but somewhat short-ranged, good for tight spacing. |
12% (each Ice Climber) 24% total
|
| Jigglypuff |
Extends its foot on both sides of it. Great for spacing, if used near the edge can lead into an edgeguarding KO. |
12%
|
| Kirby |
Does a spinning split kick. |
14% foot base, 12% foot tip
|
| Link |
Slashes in front then behind him. First hit comes out fast, though second hit has some lag. This move has decent range, and since the hitbox is on the floor, it makes this move good for spacing, and has some KO power. |
13%-17% front, 11%-15% back, 5% back tip
|
| Luigi |
Similar to Mario with upwards knockback. Knockback provides for aerial combos against low-damage enemies and KO's against high-damage enemies. |
17%
|
| Mario |
Does a breakdancing sweep. Extremely fast, one of Mario's stronger moves. |
16% front, 10% back
|
| Marth |
Slashes in front, then behind him. Identical to Link in animation. If tipped, it sends opponents upward with high vertical knockback, star KOing opponents at high percentage, and is one of the strongest down smashes in the game. If hit at the base, it sends opponents with low horizontal knockback, but it can still KO at high percentage. It is rather laggy. |
Both hits: 11% base, 16% tip
|
| Mewtwo |
Shoots a blast of darkness in front of it. Good knockback and speed, with moderate range; however, it has the unusual property of being unable to hit both sides of it. |
15%
|
| Mr. Game & Watch |
Slams two hammers to the sides of him. |
16% hammer head, 10% hammer handle
|
| Ness |
Does a "walk the dog" with his yoyo. Has good range but decent to very poor knockback depending on the opponent's falling speed. It is also very slow and laggy in both starting and ending lag. This attack is incapable of KOing unless his opponent is at extreme percentage. |
11% startup, 4% charging, 7% attack
|
| Peach |
Twirls her dress. Very high damage and powerful knockback if multiple hits land. It's the strongest down smash in the game. |
14% 5 hits, 14%-70% total
|
| Pichu |
Similar to Pikachu. It has more range than it appears and has invincibility frames, as well as being powerful. |
13%
|
| Pikachu |
Spins around while emitting sparks. Easily used from a successful crouch cancel, and sets up for an aerial at lower percentages. |
15% if all hits connect
|
| Roy |
Similar to Marth's. A decent finisher, useful for vertical KOs, though there is rather high ending lag. |
1st Hit:21% base, 14% tip
2nd Hit: 16% base, 8% tip
|
| Samus |
Sweeps her leg in a circle. Fast, good knockback. |
16% front, 15% back
|
| Sheik |
Balances on her head and breakdances, with multiple hits, but low knockback and KO potential. |
13% clean, 10% late
|
| Yoshi |
Swipes his tail in front then behind him. |
14% front, 12% back
|
| Young Link |
Identical to Link.Hits all usually follow into each other with the final having the most knockback, though DI-able and is an unreliable finishing attack. Fully charged is usually the toughest time to get all hits successfully connecting. The last hit has the unusual property of being able to send opponents to the left or right of him. |
13%/7% front, 12%/6% back
|
| Zelda |
Kicks in front then behind her. Short range with a sightly disjointed hitbox and poor power, but fast. Has transcendent priority. |
11%
|
| Character |
Description |
Damage
|
| Bowser |
Retracts into his shell and spins around. Multi-hit attack that does up to seven hits. Very high knockback and is difficult to DI out of. |
2% (hits 1-6), 9% (hit 7)
|
| Captain Falcon |
Kicks forward and then backward. Has great reach and very high horizontal knockback. |
18%/6% (hit 1), 16% (hit 2)
|
| Charizard |
Stomps the ground once with both feet, causing earth to erupt from either side of it. Hits simultaneously on both sides with good range and power, but has a laggy start/finish and will only hit on ground opponents. |
16%
|
| Diddy Kong |
Performs a sweeping kick. Deals horizontal knockback. |
16% (front), 12% (back)
|
| Donkey Kong |
Crashes his two fists on either side of himself. Very fast. 3rd strongest down smash in the game dealing great vertical knockback. |
17% (hands), 14% (arms)
|
| Falco |
Performs a split kick. Can semi-spike occasionally while edgeguarding if hits with his front foot's heel. Less endlag than Fox's, making it less punishable. A good move to use as punishing a dodged or shielded attack. |
15% (feet), 13% (legs)
|
| Fox |
Performs a split-kick. A fast and useful move; however, the lag at the end of the move leaves him vulnerable. |
14% (feet), 12% (legs)
|
| Ganondorf |
Kicks his leg in front and then behind him. The knockback from the first kick usually makes the second kick connect as well. |
5% (hit 1), 14%/12% (hit 2)
|
| Ice Climbers |
Swirls their hammers below them in a 360° style. Can hit up to four times if the opponent is really close and at low percentages. The second most damaging down smash in the game if all four hits connect. |
Leader: 12%/10%
Partner: 9%/8%
|
| Ike |
Does a stab in front of him, then behind him after a pause. The second hit behind Ike deals more damage and knockback, good for hitting rolling opponents. |
13% (front hit), 16% (back hit clean), 8% (back hit late)
|
| Ivysaur |
Quickly whips out its vines across the ground simultaneously on both sides. Deals horribly low damage and knockback for a smash attack. Can cause opponents to sometimes trip. |
8%
|
| Jigglypuff |
Puffs downward, kicking to both sides. Launches opponents at a semi spike trajectory. |
12%
|
| King Dedede |
Pulls back his hammer and then swings it horizontally along the ground. Has slow start-up and ending lag. However, its considered to be King Dedede's most reliable smash attack due to it being much faster than his other two smashes while having a favorable hitbox. |
15%
|
| Kirby |
Feet enlarge and Kirby spins, jutting them out to the side. |
14% (clean), 11%/9% (late)
|
| Link |
Slices his sword along the ground in front of himself and then behind himself. Opponents can be hit by both swipes if they are between Link and the Gale Boomerang during its second phase as it pulls the opponent towards Link; however, good timing is required. |
Hit 1: 14% (tip), 16% (blade & body), 17% (arm)
Hit 2: 16% (blade & body), 17% (arm)
|
| Lucario |
Pulls hands apart quickly on either side with aura imbued at the tips. One of the most powerful down smashes in the game if Lucario is at full power. |
14%
|
| Lucas |
Blasts a huge amount of PSI hexagons at his feet, but only on one side. Can still hit people behind him that are close enough, similar to Falco's side smash. Each burst deals less damage, but has more range than the last. Strongest in the game if all hexagons hit and fully charged. |
17% (hit 1), 14% (hit 2), 11% (hit 3)
|
| Luigi |
Does a twisting breakdancing sweepkick with decent vertical knockback that pulls victim behind him if sweetspotted (the first hit). |
17% (feet), 16% (legs)
|
| Mario |
Does a breakdancing sweep that travels very fast. Like Mario's other attacks, it has fast start-up and ending lag, but short reach. It is Mario's weakest smash attack, however, it is still a good KO move at around 120%. |
15% (front), 12% (back)
|
| Marth |
Slashes in front, then the back. High vertical knockback if tippered, but its long duration makes it a seldom-used move. |
Front: 14% (base), 17% (tip)
Back: 13% (base), 16% (tip)
|
| Meta Knight |
Quickly slashes in front of him, then behind. It is Meta Knight's best ground KO move and is one of the fastest smash attacks in the game. |
11% (front), 13% (back)
|
| Mr. Game & Watch |
Swings two mallets down on either side of himself. Great vertical knockback. A good semi-spike if not tippered, and comes out faster than most of his attacks. Originates from Vermin. |
15% (hammer), 13% (handle)
|
| Ness |
Does a "walk the dog" trick with his yo-yo. Hits behind, then in front with his yo-yo. Can damage while charging, but charging does not increase damage or knockback of the move on release. |
4% (startup and charge), 13% (attack)
|
| Olimar |
Sends two Pikmin to leap out on both sides. Very quick, but has less knockback than his side smash. |
R: 13% (clean), 15% (late)
Y: 11% (clean), 8% (late)
B: 12% (clean), 9% (late)
W: 6% (clean), 4% (late)
P: 15% (clean), 12% (late)
|
| Peach |
Spins around with her outstretching skirt slashing and sucking in opponents, like Pikachu's. Has been nerfed in Brawl in power, damage, and ability to trap opponents better, being extremely hard to get hit by all slashes, although long duration, fast start-up, and being able to semi-spike opponents hanging on edges can help somewhat. |
5% (hits 1-4)
|
| Pikachu |
Spins around while emitting blasts of sparks from its body. Multiple hitboxes are able to pull in opponents very easily. Short range, and a good damage racker. If DI'd out of, it becomes a semi-spike. |
2% (hits 1-6), 3% (hit 7)
|
| Pit |
Stabs the ground in front of himself with one blade, then behind him with the other. Interestingly, when using this move, Pit only utters a sound upon charging the attack. The voice clip will not play if the down-smash is initiated instantly using the c-stick. |
Front: 13% (body & arm), 12% (hilt), 10% (blade)
Back: 10% (body & arm), 9% (hilt), 8% (blade)
|
| R.O.B. |
Lowers arm unit on torso unit, and then quickly spins arms around many times for good range, multiple hits, good knockback, and a useful damage racker. |
2% (hits 1-4), 5% (hit 5)
|
| Samus |
Sweeps her leg around in a circle around herself to inflict vertical knockback. Very fast, but has ending lag. |
15% (front), 14% (back)
|
| Sheik |
Gets on her back and does a break-dance style rotation. This move can hit opponents twice. |
13% (hit 1), 10% (hits 2-3)
|
| Snake |
Plants a motion-sensing mine in the ground. Detonates if contacted by another hitbox or hurtbox. Only one can be planted at a time, and if the platform the one was on disappears, the mine blows up when it lands on the ground. The longer this attack is charged, the more transparent the mine becomes and the more damage it will cause upon explosion. |
14%
|
| Sonic |
Darts forwards and backwards very fast in his spinball mode. Some start-up lag, but decent power. |
12% (early), 9% (mid), 7% (mid late), 5% (late)
|
| Squirtle |
Spins around quickly in its shell. Poor range. |
11%
|
| Toon Link |
Same as Link's, only faster, and first hit usually carries into second. KOs at very low percentages if only the first hit connects and if the opponent has poor horizontal recovery. |
6% (hit 1 grounded), (7% (hit 1 aerial), 11% (hit 2)
|
| Wario |
Spins on the ground, bashing foes with his head. First hit has good knockback, with subsequent hits having gradually weaker strength and knockback. |
13% (clean), 10% (mid), 5% (late)
|
| Wolf |
Claws on either side of himself at blinding speeds. Arguably Wolf's best ground move. It's the best down smash of the three space animals. |
14%/12% (hit 1), 13%/10% (hit 2)
|
| Yoshi |
Swings his tail around on either side of himself. Has mediocre horizontal knockback. |
14% (front), 13% (back)
|
| Zelda |
Kicks forward and backward with incredible speed. Zelda's leg is intangible while the hitboxes are out. |
12% (hit 1), 10% (hit 2)
|
| Zero Suit Samus |
Fires a close-range, uncharged paralyzer bolt at the ground in front of herself. No initial knockback, but commonly used to set up for side smash or Plasma Whip. |
11%
|
| Character
|
Description
|
Damage
|
| Bayonetta |
Inspired by the Heel Stomp maneuver from her home series, in which Madama Butterfly's foot comes from above and stomps on the ground. This move can meteor smash opponents on the ledge and in the air. |
5% (Bayonetta), 15% (Madama Butterfly)
|
| Bowser |
Retracts into his shell and spins around. Deals multiple hits and very hard to DI out the move. Apart from Whirling Fortress, this move is Bowser's best option to punish rolling dodges. |
2% (hit 1), 1% (hits 2-6), 9% (hit 7)
|
| Bowser Jr. |
Slams the ground on both sides of himself using wrecking balls from the Junior Clown Car. |
18%
|
| Captain Falcon |
Quickly kicks frontwards and then backwards. Has great reach and very high horizontal knockback. |
14% (hit 1), 18% (hit 2)
|
| Charizard |
Stomps the ground once with both feet, causing the ground to erupt from either side of it. Semi-spikes at the hitboxes closer to Charizard. |
16%
|
| Cloud |
Cloud crouches, then shoves the Buster Sword's handle forwards before stabbing backwards. The first hit is designed to natural combo into the second hit. Cloud's fastest smash attack, and the second hit sends opponents at a semi-spike angle, although it is hard to use for edgeguarding unless Cloud is facing towards the stage at the edge. Regardless, it is useful for sending opponents with weak horizontal recoveries offstage. |
4% (hit 1), 12% (hit 2)
|
| Corrin |
Similar to Mii Brawler's. Transforms his front leg into a spear and juts it outward behind while simultaneously stabbing with the Omega Yato in the opposite direction in front of him. |
11% (sword), 14% (leg, sweetspot) 9% (leg, sourspot)
|
| Dark Pit |
Identical to Pit's. |
Both hits: 12% (base), 10% (tip)
|
| Diddy Kong |
Performs a sweeping kick. Deals horizontal knockback. |
12% (front), 15% (back)
|
| Donkey Kong |
Performs a double back-handed punch, swinging both of his clenched fists down 90˚ in the process. Deals vertical knockback. 6th strongest down smash in the game. |
14% (arms), 17%-18% (fists)
|
| Dr. Mario |
Identical to Mario's. |
11.2% (front), 13.44% (back)
|
| Duck Hunt |
The dog looks at the ground, signalling the player to fire the Zapper at both sides, scaring the dog into losing its footing. 3 shots are fired: one in front of the dog, one behind the dog, and another in front. Each shot bounces the target around, meaning that the last shot will launch the victim behind the dog at a semi-spike angle. |
5% (hits 1-2), 6% (hit 3)
|
| Falco |
Does a split kick that comes out rather quickly. Below-average range. Has a very small sourspot in the center of his body that deals weak vertical knockback. Both of Falco's legs are intangible while the hitboxes are out. The move semi-spikes when the hitboxes farthest from Falco connect. |
15% (feet), 12% (legs)
|
| Fox |
Does a split to attack both sides of him. The move comes out rather quickly, good for spacing. Both of Fox's feet are intangible while the hitboxes are out. Is a semi-spike when the farthest hitboxes connect. |
14% (feet), 12% (legs)
|
| Ganondorf |
Kicks his leg in front and then behind him, it is the strongest down smash in the game if both hits connect. The first kick has low knockback to naturally combo into the second kick, which has the most damage and knockback. If used near a ledge, the first kick can stage spike opponents if positioned correctly. |
6% (hit 1), 15%/13% (hit 2)
|
| Greninja |
Strikes both sides simultaneously with water swords, both in reverse grip. Semi-spikes. |
13% (sword), 11% (arms)
|
| Ike |
Does a stab in front of him, then behind him after a pause. The second hit behind Ike deals more damage and knockback, good for hitting rolling opponents. Ike's fastest and least sluggish smash attack, although somewhat lacking in knockback if the front hit connects. Suffers from punishable endlag like his other smashes. |
14% (front), 17% (back clean), 8% (back late)
|
| Jigglypuff |
Puffs downward, kicking to both sides. Jigglypuff spins while charging the attack. It is a semi-spike, but difficult to connect with. Pushes opponents quite far. Both of Jigglypuff's feet are intangible while the hitboxes are out. |
11%
|
| King Dedede |
Pulls back his hammer and then swings it horizontally along the ground. The head of the hammer is a semi-spike, which launches opponents horizontally. |
13%
|
| Kirby |
Does a split and spins around rapidly. Both of Kirby's feet are intangible for the first half of the move. Kirby can combo into this smash from down aerial if the spacing is right. |
14% (clean), 10% (late)
|
| Link |
Slices his sword along the ground in front of himself and then behind himself. First hit sends opponents at a vertical trajectory while having slightly increased damage and knockback the closer one is to Link. Second hit is a powerful semi-spike with slightly increased damage and knockback on his blade. |
Front: 14% (blade), 17% (arm), 16% (body)
Back: 12% (blade), 11% (arm), 10% (body)
|
| Little Mac |
Punches in front of and behind himself along the ground. Weak compared to his other smashes, but is a semi-spike, making it useful for edgeguarding. The move can also hit opponents hanging on or otherwise very close to the ledge, making it useful for interrupting recoveries and hitting opponents who exhaust their ledge invincibility. |
12%
|
| Lucario |
Crouches and then fires two bursts of aura on either side. One of the strongest down smashes in the game when Lucario is at full power, and is a semi-spike. |
14%
|
| Lucas |
Fires three consecutive bursts of PK energy, each one with more range but less power than the last. The first hit is the third strongest down smash in the game. |
17% (hit 1), 14% (hit 2), 11% (hit 3)
|
| Lucina |
Identical to Marth's, though with no tip. Compensated by being stronger throughout. |
8% (front), ~14.275% (back)
|
| Luigi |
Does a breakdancing sweep kick. Opponents hit by the first kick will be pulled towards Luigi. |
14% (legs) 15% (body)
|
| Mario |
Performs a breakdance sweep that originated from Super Mario 64. Is a semi-spike. |
10% (front), 12% (back)
|
| Marth |
Sweeps Falchion on the ground toward the front outward then toward the back inward. Deals immense knockback if hit at the tip. |
Front: 8% (base), 12% (tip)
Back: 12% (base), 17% (tip)
|
| Mega Man |
Flame Blast: plants both arm cannons into the ground, causing two flaming pillars to erupt from the ground either side of him which launch the opponent upwards. Great knockback when hit with the first frames of the hitbox and is the second strongest down smash in the game. Based on Flame Man's weapon from Mega Man 6. |
16% (clean), 14% (mid), 9% (late)
|
| Meta Knight |
Slashes in front of him, then behind. Significantly weaker than in Brawl, front hit cannot KO until 150% near the ledge, and back hit KOs at around 110% near the ledge, though still a very quick attack. Is a semi-spike. |
7% (front), 10% (back)
|
| Mewtwo |
Extends its arm downwards and summons an explosion of shadow energy at its feet. Same startup as its forward smash, but slightly less endlag. One of the few down smashes that do not hit on both sides. |
15%
|
| Mii Brawler |
Punches forwards and kicks backwards simultaneously, with the kick dealing more knockback. Is a semi-spike. |
13%*
|
| Mii Gunner |
Fires two bursts of flame onto the ground, first in front then behind. Enemies that take the first hit are dragged into the second hit, similarly to Ganondorf's and Toon Link's down smash. |
4% (hit 1), 10% (hit 2)*
|
| Mii Swordfighter |
Slashes along the ground in front of and behind him/herself. Has slight ending lag. Is a semi-spike. |
12% (front), 15% (back)*
|
| Mr. Game & Watch |
Swings two hammers downwards. Hammer heads deal vertical knockback while the handles semi-spike. Originates from Vermin. 5th strongest down smash when sweetspotted. |
15% (hammers), 13% (handles)
|
| Ness |
Ness sends his yo-yo backwards and "walk the dog" with it before pulling the yo-yo back. The yo-yo deals semi-spike knockback. |
Both sides: 1% (hits 1-2), 10% (hit 3)
|
| Olimar |
Sends two Pikmin to leap out on both sides. Very quick with little endlag. Is a semi-spike. |
R: 13.2% (clean), 10.8% (late)
YB: 11% (clean), 9% (late)
W: 8.8% (clean), 7.2% (late)
P: 15.4% (clean), 12.6% (late)
|
| Pac-Man |
Shoots Pinky and Clyde, the pink and orange ghosts respectively, at both of his sides simultaneously. Is a semi-spike upon startup. |
13% (clean), 7% (late)
|
| Palutena |
Creates ethereal wings and flaps them down on either side of her. Has a small wind effect at the tip of the wings. Has high ending lag, making it less safe than her forward smash. Is a semi-spike when late. |
15% (clean), 13% (late)
|
| Peach |
Spins around with her outstretching dress slashing and sucking in opponents. Decent knockback, and great for punishing rollers. (lower than Melee's, higher than Brawl's). A portion of the loop hits are semi-spikes and can stage spike opponents. |
2%-3% (hits 1-5)
|
| Pikachu |
Spins around in place repeatedly whilst surrounded with electricity. A multi-hit move with decent power but punishable ending lag. |
2% (hits 1-5), 3% (hit 6)
|
| Pit |
Stabs the ground in front of himself with one blade, then behind himself with the other. The second hit is a semi-spike. |
Both hits: 12% (base), 10% (tip)
|
| R.O.B. |
Lowers arm unit on torso unit, and then quickly spins arms around many times for good range, multiple hits, good knockback, and a useful damage racker. Is a semi-spike at the last hit. |
2% (hits 1-4 base), 1.5% (hits 1-4 tip), 5% (hit 5)
|
| Robin |
An overhead slash which ends with Robin slamming his sword onto the ground while crouching. With the Levin Sword, the slam creates short-term sparks on both sides of Robin, which can hit opponents even after he starts getting up. This property does not work with the Bronze Sword, meaning this move can only hit on both sides with the Levin Sword. Robin's most reliable punish move on the ground due to its length, but suffers from ending lag. The Bronze Sword semi-spikes. |
Bronze: 8%
Levin: 15% (clean), 12% (mid), 8% (late)
|
| Rosalina & Luma |
Rosalina: Kicks in front and behind herself, creating magic galaxies with each kick.
Luma: Kicks on either side of itself.
Inescapable damage at low percentage and ideal for punishing rolls. Is a semi-spike with both characters. |
Rosalina: 7% (front), 9% (back)
Luma: 4% (front), 5% (back)
|
| Roy |
Briskly sweeps his sword in front of him to the right before pivoting to the left into another sweep to behind him. |
Front: 15% (base), 10% (tip)
Back: 17% (base), 11% (tip)
|
| Ryu |
A sweeping kick along the ground, sending opponents at a strong diagonal angle. Unlike most down smashes, this only hits in front of Ryu. Quicker than his other smash attacks, with more range than his up smash but less than his forward smash, making it his safest smash attack at a distance. Based off of Ryu's crouching heavy kick in Street Fighter IV. |
16% (leg), 15% (foot)
|
| Samus |
Sweeps her leg around in a circle around herself to inflict semi-spike knockback. Very fast, but has ending lag. Awful knockback, not KOing until around 200%. |
10% (front), 12% (back)
|
| Sheik |
Gets on her back and does a break-dance style rotation. Can hit twice. |
3% (hit 1), 6% (hit 2)
|
| Shulk |
A high-range, spinning slash with long start-up and ending lag where Shulk spins while dragging the Monado three times around him along the ground. The move is capable of hitting five times (three at Shulk's front, two at his back), with each hit dealing less damage as it goes on with the motion, though it is prohibitively difficult to have it strike the same opponent even twice. Useful against roll-spammers, who will more than likely get hit by the second or third hit. |
14% (hit 1 blade), 11% (hit 1 beam), 12% (hit 2 blade), 10% (hit 2 beam), 10% (hit 3 blade), 8% (hit 3 beam), 8% (hit 4 blade), 6% (hit 4 beam), 6% (hit 5 blade), 4% (hit 5 beam)
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| Sonic |
A split kick that attacks on either side, similar to Fox's down smash. Is a semi-spike. |
12%
|
| Toon Link |
Same as Link's, only faster, and first hit usually carries into second. KOs at very low percentages if only the first hit connects and if the opponent has poor horizontal recovery. |
6% (hit 1), 7% (hit 2)
|
| Villager |
Takes out a shovel and digs in front, then behind. It can bury grounded opponents; opponents in the air instead have weak knockback inflicted to them. This is the only smash attack in the series that cannot KO when grounded. |
6% (closer opponents), 3% (farther opponents)
|
| Wario |
Spins on the ground, bashing foes with his head. First hit has good knockback, with subsequent hits having gradually weaker strength and knockback. Is a semi-spike. |
13% (clean), 10% (mid), 5% (late)
|
| Wii Fit Trainer |
Arm & Leg Lift: Kneels close to the ground, and thrusts her/his arm and leg out in opposite directions. Possesses slight startup and ending lag. Very high semi-spike knockback. |
10% (inside), 12% (outside)
|
| Yoshi |
Swings his tail around on either side of himself. Good range makes it useful for defense. Is a semi-spike. |
12% (tail), 10% (tip)
|
| Zelda |
Quickly kicks on both sides of herself, knocking opponents away. Hits very quickly and at a low angle. Is a semi-spike at the hitboxes closest to Zelda. |
10% (front), 12% (back)
|
| Zero Suit Samus |
Aims down and shoots her gun at the ground in front of her. Only hits in front. Low damage and delayed knockback, but paralyzes the target for a short time. Unique attack that can be followed up by a side smash, a grab or another move. The shot is a projectile. |
8% (near), 6% (far)
|
* This assumes the Mii is default height and weight.
- Sweeping: The character attacks one side of their body, then another. Best used to cover potential spotdodges and rolls.
- One-sided: The character attacks only hits the front side. Best used at the ledge for covering certain edge recovery options.
- Simultaneous: The character attacks both sides of his/her body at the same time. Best used to punish cross-ups without having to react and potentially miss.
- Special: Exclusive to Snake, he plants an explosive on the ground that explodes when someone sets it off or he does another down smash.
Notable down smashes[edit]
 Peach's down smash in Melee. - Peach's down smash in Melee is arguably the most feared of all smashes due to its knockback, quick start up, and extremely high damage. It deals very high knockback all-around, sends opponents on a semi-spike trajectory, and if its multiple hits land (usually caused by the opponent crouch cancelling), it can theoretically deal as much as 64.96% fully charged. The move was severely nerfed in Brawl, and became near useless outside of interrupting attacks.
- Samus's down smash is notable for its low lag, high base knockback, moderate knockback scaling, and semi-spike trajectory, which can potentially KO characters with poor recoveries at 0%. In Smash 4 however, it is one of the weakest down smashes.
- Sheik's down smash, despite its poor KO power, is a decent tech-chase option against the space animals and Captain Falcon. It is additionally a good option out of a crouch cancel or forward tilt.
- Donkey Kong's down smash in Brawl and SSB4 has exceptionally fast start-up, especially for a smash, decent range, and great vertical knockback, KOing starting at 100%. It is excellent for punishing rolls, laggy attacks, and almost any mid-speed maneuver in general out of shield, making it arguably one of the best down smashes in both games.
- Olimar's down smash is the only "simultaneous" down smash in Brawl and Smash 4 that can hit twice, giving it very good damage racking utility (although it only works if Olimar is touching his opponent, which itself is situational.).
- Snake's down smash allows him to plant a mine, which does no damage unless stepped on (this includes Snake), and is deactivated when he plants another or is KO'd. If for any reason the mine falls from the platform it was on, it detonates on impact with anything.
- Zelda's down smash is the fastest down smash in Melee, tied with R.O.B.'s in Brawl (both out on frame 4), and second fastest in SSB4. It also takes less than one second to use in all three games.
- Meta Knight's down smash is tied with Wolf's for the second fastest down smash in Brawl, and is the fastest in SSB4, coming out on frame 4 when buffered. Unbuffered, it is again tied with Zelda's.
- Ness's down smash in Melee and Brawl has unique properties when charged. Rather than at the beginning of the attack, it is charged up in the middle of the attack, but only if Ness' yo-yo comes to rest on a flat surface. Charging the smash does not increase damage or knockback, but opponents can be damaged while the move is charging.
- Charizard's down smash in both Brawl and SSB4 has good range as it acts somewhat like Donkey Kong's Hand Slap, creating a damaging shockwave around the Pokémon. This can hit opponents that aren't in contact with Charizard's body (including foes in the air close to it).
- Villager is the only fighter to have a down smash that can never KO under any circumstances when grounded, as it only buries opponents on hit.
- Mega Man's down smash is one of the strongest down smashes in SSB4 if the opponent is hit by the move in the early frames. It can KO as early as 60% if fully charged, although it loses power after the first few frames and has considerable ending lag.
- Little Mac's down smash, despite its low knockback, can hit foes very close to, or hanging onto, an edge. Combined with its semi-spike trajectory and low startup/endlag, it is probably his safest edgeguarding move.
- Shulk's down smash, when boosted with the Buster Monado Art, is capable of breaking full shields if an opponent is cornered against a ledge and all three front hits connect.
- Ganondorf, Toon Link, Mii Gunner and Cloud's down smashes drag opponents in with the front hit, and naturally combo into the second, stronger back hit. Based on an opponent's DI, percentage and hitbox in which the first hit connects, these fighters can cause an unconventional stage spike by starting the attack beside a ledge and dragging an opponent right into the stage's wall.
- Several down smashes can only hit in front of the user:
- Robin's down smash only hits on both sides, with a small hitbox on the back, if the Levin Sword is active.
- Mewtwo's down smash is the only down smash in Melee that does not cover both the front and rear of the user.
- Zero Suit Samus's down smash only hits the area in front of her, and deals very little knockback, but paralyzes whoever is hit by it, opening up a chance for a follow up attack and guaranteeing a KO at high percentages. The knockback is overridden by any other knockback during the stun.
- Lucas's down smash only reaches a very short distance behind him; characters must be almost touching him to be struck by the rear hitbox. Because of this, it is considered to be one-sided, although the rear hitbox is very noticeable in battle.
- Ryu's down smash only hits in front of him and is the safest of all his smash attacks. However, it deals extremely mediocre knockback, KOing at 190%, and is usually used for forcing opponents away if they come too close.
- Bayonetta's down smash comes down in front from above her, but it nonetheless does not cover her from behind.
- Bayonetta's down smash is the first down smash in the Smash Bros. series to be a conventional meteor smash.
See also[edit]
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