Ganondorf (SSBM)/Forward tilt

Ganondorf's forward tilt hitbox visualizations.
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Overview[edit]

Ganondorf does a standing roundhouse kick. It has the same frame data as Captain Falcon's forward tilt but is noticeably stronger and has more range thanks to the increased size of the foot hitbox and Ganondorf's overall larger frame. These factors, along with the move's short animation length, make it one of the higher-tier forward tilts in Melee, only being beaten out by the terrifying combo starters and juggle tools that are Sheik's and Yoshi's.

If used as a standard poke in the neutral, the move is one of the longest-ranged forward tilts in the game and if spaced correctly it will connect with the foot sweetspot and can be as good as -13 on shield, making it unpunishable by a Spacie's waveshine^[1]. From a distance, it can be used to predict a run-in from the opponent and stuff the opponent's offensive option; if the move doesn't connect, the low amount of endlag makes it very difficult to punish on whiff. For that reason, using the move from far away carries little risk, letting Ganondorf players use it from a distance without fear at lower percents. If it connects with the sweetspot, it has about as much kill power as his weaker aerials and is Ganondorf's best grounded kill move in neutral, providing a blend of strength and applicability within a match. It can also be used out of his throws when there isn't enough time to jump and then use an aerial or land his powerful but slow forward smash.

One factor that gives the move a much stronger presence than Captain Falcon's doesn't even have to do with the move at all: due to Ganondorf's much longer wavedash and 0° waveland, as well as his absurdly long Koopabackdashwaveslidehoverwalkmoonland^[2], Ganondorf can cover massive amounts of ground whilst still having access to his powerful grounded options, in a manner not too dissimilar to Luigi or the Ice Climbers with their far-reaching wavedashes. This can let him threaten forward tilt while approaching, enabling the Ganon player to do stuff such as put out an edgeguarding hitbox in the event that he advantageously traded with an opponent in the previous interaction, knocking the opponent off-stage, and got pushed back far enough that he didn't have enough time to run to ledge and then prepare an edgeguarding option.

Making it even better as a neutral option is the fact that, since Ganon is on the ground for the entirety of the move, the Ganon player has access to powerful defensive options during the move's entire animation, mostly ASDI Down and Amsah teching. Both of these options can even be buffered at the same time (done by holding down on the C-stick and diagonally down and away on the Control stick, allowing Ganon to near-instantaneously recover against a weak knockback move and roll away from a higher knockback move. At extremely low percentages, Ganon might even opt to do an ASDI Down tech, recovering much faster than rolling and closer to the middle of the stage, giving him better positioning. Depending on positioning and Ganon's percent, he might even recover fast enough to be able to punish the opponent with a grab, turning a whiff punish on Ganon into a devasting punish for Ganon.

Like every other forward tilt of its kind, it can be angled up or down. The up-angled version is Ganondorf's fastest and safest anti-air, either trading or cleanly beating the opponent's aerial option, and the down-angled version can hit characters crouching, even notorious crouchers such as Jigglypuff. When used in edgeguarding, the primary version to use is the down-angled version, as it can "snipe" recoveries aimed at the ledge, often with lethal consequences if it hits, and is very difficult to punish if it whiffs against a recovering opponent, letting the Ganon player safely roll away from ledge or even use his jab.

Overall, Ganondorf's forward tilt is a dependable and potentially very rewarding poke in neutral, as well as a flexible defensive and edgeguarding option. Despite being so similar to it, it sees much more use than its counterpart on Falcon.

Hitboxes[edit]

ID	Part	Damage	SD	BK	KS	FKV	Radius	Bone	Offset			Sound
Angled up
0	0	14%	0	20	100	0	5.0778	13	5.0778	0.0	0.0	Kick
1	0	13%	0	20	100	0	3.5154	12	1.953	0.0	0.0	Kick
2	0	12%	0	20	100	0	3.5154	4	0.0	0.0	0.0	Kick
Angled mid up
0	0	14%	0	20	100	0	5.0778	13	0.0	0.0	5.0778	Kick
1	0	13%	0	20	100	0	3.5154	12	0.0	0.0	1.953	Kick
2	0	12%	0	20	100	0	3.5154	4	0.0	0.0	0.0	Kick
Angled forward
0	0	13%	0	20	100	0	5.0778	13	5.0778	0.0	0.0	Kick
1	0	12%	0	20	100	0	3.5154	12	1.953	0.0	0.0	Kick
2	0	11%	0	20	100	0	3.5154	4	0.0	0.0	0.0	Kick
Angled mid down
0	0	12%	0	20	100	0	5.0778	13	0.0	0.0	5.0778	Kick
1	0	11%	0	20	100	0	3.5154	12	0.0	0.0	1.953	Kick
2	0	10%	0	20	100	0	3.5154	4	0.0	0.0	0.0	Kick
Angled down
0	0	12%	0	20	100	0	5.0778	13	5.0778	0.0	0.0	Kick
1	0	11%	0	20	100	0	3.5154	12	1.953	0.0	0.0	Kick
2	0	10%	0	20	100	0	3.5154	4	0.0	0.0	0.0	Kick