Force Palm

Force Palm
	; Force Palm in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
User	Lucario
Universe	Pokémon
Article on Bulbapedia	Force Palm (move)

“	A blast of aura energy. Will grab opponents if their [sic] close enough.	”
—Smash for 3DS's foldout

“	Unleashes concentrated energy with a powerful punch. Grabs enemies if they're close enough.	”
—Description from Ultimate's Move List

Force Palm (はっけい, Fajin/Force Exert) is Lucario's side special move in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. 4, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. When used, Lucario thrusts its paw in front of itself, briefly charges up aura, then unleashes it in a large area in front of its palm. The move becomes a grab at point blank range, which gives it even more knockback potential.

Overview[edit]

Force Palm bears some similarities to Lucario's forward smash, except that it exhibits more range and less knockback. If Force Palm is used when standing within grabbing range of an opponent, it changes to a grabbing attack with slightly more power. At later percentages it is a powerful vertical killer with an angled knockback. Force Palm's range also makes it a viable edge guarding move, but caution should be used if attempting to use Force Palm in the air, as Lucario cannot jump until it finishes attacking with it. Force Palm can also make a good chain grab like Lucario's up throw. Initial damage for close-range is 9%, long range is 7% if hit with bulk of the blast, and 5% if hit with tip. At 170% (where it caps), long range if hit with bulk is 14%, tip is 12%, and grab is 18%. This gives Lucario the most damaging throw at high percentages. It is possible for the opponent to break out of a close range Force Palm before the punch is administered.

Force Palm's attack has a few unintuitive properties. It is technically a projectile that can be reflected and absorbed, but it does not move by itself and so reflecting it cannot hurt the original user unless Lucario is pushed into it at the same time. By contrast, it is also a direct attack, so Subspace Emissary enemies do not resist it and it triggers the effects of items that ignore indirect attacks.

Force Palm also causes light-bending graphics for a portion of its animation. Also for the said animation, Lucario stands in a readying-stance with a single hand out and the other one placed upon its wrist, firing the blast with stationary recoil. When used as a grab, it grabs the opponent with its leading hand and places its free hand onto the other (in a quick thrusting motion) to fire the blast in a violent gesture.

In Smash 4, Force Palm, like all of Lucario's moves, has been heavily buffed due to the new aura mechanics. The range, knockback, and damage of Force Palm increases as Lucario's damage gets higher; at 170%, the move gains exceptional range, reaching almost half the length of Final Destination. When at these high percentages, Force Palm becomes a significantly better spacing option than the Brawl version. Force Palm's grab also gained increased knockback, being a wickedly powerful finishing move that kills earlier than the Brawl version if Lucario is at mid-high percentages. Unfortunately, opponents can now escape from Force Palm's grab if Lucario is at low percents, similar to typical grabs.

Aesthetically, Lucario has a new pose when it uses Force Palm, where it leans forward more by its side with its following arm being held up high and away while bent, and while stomping via leading foot and pushing forward with its leading palm when firing the blast like so. The grab animation instead involves Lucario leaning away from its victim to instead jam its palm at them from an underhanded angle.

Also in Smash 4, the move gains more powerful sound effects as Lucario's aura level increases, starting from a soft whoosh effect at low percents and turning into a loud explosive boom at high percents; additionally, at 100% or higher Force Palm's aura gains an aesthetic explosive shockwave around Lucario.

Customization[edit]

Special Move customization was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the known variations:

1. Force Palm	2. Advancing Force Palm	3. Long-Distance Force Palm

"A punch that unleashes concentrated energy. Will grab an enemy if they're close enough."	"Dash forward while using Force Palm. If it doesn't connect, you're left open to attack."	"A Force Palm with more range but less damage."

Force Palm: Default.
Advancing Force Palm: Dashes forward while using Force Palm. It will leave the player open if it misses. It deals less damage.
Long-Distance Force Palm: The projectile has more range, but deals less damage. The grab deals more knockback.

Advancing Force Palm being used in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Advancing Force Palm being charged.
Long-Distance Force Palm being used in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
Long-Distance Force Palm being charged.

Origin[edit]

Force Palm in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

In the Pokémon games, Force Palm is a physical Fighting-type attack that was introduced in Generation IV. While not very strong at 60 base power, it has a 30% chance of paralyzing the target.

Lucario learns this move by leveling up in Generations IV and V. While Lucario no longer learns the move by leveling up in Generation VI due to learning Power-Up Punch in its place, its pre-evolved form Riolu continues to do so, and Lucario can therefore retain the move from before it evolved.

In Japanese, the term "fajin" (発勁) is the naming basis for the attack's Japanese name, being a term used in Chinese martial arts that involves use of internal energies and explosive force. "Hakkei" is the term's on'yomi reading.