Indirect is a hitbox property, determined by a flag in an attack's script. There is no hard rule as to which hitboxes have this property, but generally, they tend to be long-ranged or disjointed to the extent that they do not involve direct physical contact, and/or are visually separated from the attacker's body. The majority of indirect attacks are projectiles, and vice versa, but there are several projectiles with direct hitboxes. Similarly, there are several non-projectile attacks with indirect hitboxes.
In Melee, the only known effect of indirect hitboxes is that breaking a Metal Box with them will not activate the metal effect for the attacker.
In Brawl's sticker system, stickers display indirect attacks as Specials: Indirect in NTSC and Indirect in PAL. Despite the name, indirect attacks do not have to be part of a special move. The main effect of indirect attacks in Brawl is that most enemies in The Subspace Emissary resist them to a small degree. This is presumed to encourage close-range combat as opposed to camping and turtling to defeat enemies in the mode. The only enemies to not resist them are Floows and the bosses Master Hand, Crazy Hand, Porky, Meta Ridley, and Tabuu. Certain items also resist indirect attacks, such as Uniras, which are not moved or dislodged by them.
Starting in Smash 4, compared to direct hitboxes, indirect ones also deal less shieldstun, and similarly leave the attacker with more vulnerability when perfect shielded.
In Ultimate, indirect attacks reward different amounts of frame advantage when perfect shielded. The amount of advantage is in relation to standard shield drop lag. Projectile attacks provide the defender 1 less frame of hitlag than normal, effectively giving the defender a +1 frame advantage. Non-projectile attacks give the attack 14 more frames, while giving the defender 2 more frames, effectively giving the defender a +12 frame advantage.
In Ultimate, the number of non-projectile attacks with indirect hitboxes has generally decreased, most notably for Mewtwo and R.O.B. Conversely, there have been a few instances of newly direct projectile hitboxes, such as Kirby's Final Cutter and Peach's Toad counterattack, which has changed from an indirect melee attack to a direct projectile.
List of indirect attacks by characters[edit]
| Character |
Attack |
Notes
|
| Banjo & Kazooie |
Egg Firing / Breegull Blaster |
|
| Shock Spring Jump |
|
| Rear Egg |
|
| Bayonetta |
Bullet Arts |
|
| forward smash |
|
| up smash |
|
| down smash |
Wicked Weave hitboxes
|
| Bullet Climax |
|
| Bowser |
Fire Breath |
|
| Bowser Jr. |
Clown Cannon |
|
| Abandon Ship! |
projectile
|
| Mechakoopa |
|
| Shadow Mario Paint |
|
| Byleth |
neutral aerial |
landing
|
| Failnaught |
|
| Aymr |
shockwave
|
| Captain Falcon |
 down smash |
hit 1 sourspot
|
| Charizard |
forward aerial |
|
| Flamethrower |
|
| Flare Blitz |
projectile
|
 Rock Smash |
projectiles
|
| Mega Charizard X |
Dragon Rush and Fire Blast
|
| Chrom |
Awakening Aether |
|
| Cloud |
Blade Beam |
|
| Omnislash |
for the normal version, every hit except the final aerial slash and landing; for Ver. 5 , only the dash and initial hit
|
| Corrin |
Dragon Fang Shot |
projectile
|
| Dragon Ascent |
windbox
|
| Daisy |
Vegetable |
|
| Dark Pit |
Silver Bow |
|
| Guardian Orbitars |
|
| Dark Pit Staff |
|
| Dark Samus |
Charge Shot |
|
| Missile |
|
| Bomb |
|
| Phazon Laser |
except arm cannon at start
|
| Diddy Kong |
Peanut Popgun |
projectile
|
| Rocketbarrel Boost |
clean hit, projectile
|
| Banana Peel |
|
| Rocketbarrel Barrage |
ram
|
| Hyper Rocketbarrel |
|
| Donkey Kong |
Hand Slap |
only the grounded version
|
| Konga Beat |
|
| Dr. Mario |
forward smash |
sourspot
|
| Megavitamins |
|
| Doctor Finale |
|
| Duck Hunt |
Trick Shot |
|
| Clay Shooting |
|
| Wild Gunman |
|
| Falco |
neutral attack |
infinite finisher
|
| Blaster |
|
 Phantasm |
|
| Landmaster |
shot
|
| Fox |
neutral attack |
infinite finisher
|
| Blaster |
|
| Illusion |
|
| Landmaster |
shot
|
| Giga Bowser |
Fire Breath |
|
| Greninja |
Water Shuriken |
|
| Hydro Pump |
|
| Secret Ninja Attack |
mat
|
| Hero |
Frizz / Frizzle / Kafrizz |
|
| Zap / Zapple / Kazap |
Zap: except no MP and projectile sweetspot
|
| Zapple: except projectile sweetspot
|
| Kazap: except final hit sweetspots and projectile sweetspot
|
| Woosh / Swoosh / Kaswoosh |
|
| Command Selection |
Sizz, Sizzle, Bang, Kaboom, Whack, Thwack, Magic Burst, Kamikazee
|
| Ice Climbers |
Ice Shot |
|
| Blizzard |
|
| Inkling |
Splattershot |
|
| Super Jump |
projectile
|
| Splat Bomb |
|
| Killer Wail |
|
| Isabelle |
dash attack |
|
| forward aerial |
|
| back aerial |
|
| Lloid Trap |
|
| Ivysaur |
Bullet Seed |
projectile
|
| Razor Leaf |
|
| Joker |
Gun / Gun Special |
|
| Eiha / Eigaon |
|
| Kazuya |
Devil Blaster |
|
| Final Blaster |
|
| Ken |
Hadoken |
|
| Shippu Jinraikyaku / Shinryuken |
only the Shippu Jinraikyaku version, first six kicks
|
| King Dedede |
Inhale |
spit star
|
| Waddle Dee Toss |
|
| Super Dedede Jump |
projectiles
|
| Waddle Dee Army |
wind
|
| Gordo Throw |
projectile
|
| Dedede Burst |
|
| King K. Rool |
Blunderbuss |
|
| Crownerang |
|
| Kirby |
Inhale |
spit star
|
| Final Cutter |
projectile
|
| Ultra Sword |
|
| copy abilities |
any neutral special that is indirect
|
| Link |
Hero's Bow |
|
| Gale Boomerang |
|
| Bomb |
|
| Triforce Slash |
|
| forward smash |
sword beam
|
| Bow and Arrows |
|
| Boomerang |
|
| Remote Bomb |
|
| Ancient Bow and Arrow |
|
| Hookshot |
|
| Little Mac |
Giga Mac Rush |
|
| Lucario |
neutral attack |
tip
|
| forward smash |
tip
|
| down smash |
front inner hit
|
| Aura Sphere |
shot projectile only
|
| Aura Storm |
beam
|
| Lucas |
up smash |
|
| down smash |
|
| PK Freeze |
|
| PK Fire |
|
| PK Thunder |
projectile
|
| PSI Magnet |
|
| PK Starstorm |
|
| Lucina |
up smash |
sides
|
| Luigi |
Fireball |
|
| grab aerial |
|
| Mario |
forward smash |
sweetspot
|
| Fireball |
|
| F.L.U.D.D. |
|
| Mario Finale |
|
| Marth |
up smash |
sides
|
| Mega Man |
neutral attack |
projectiles
|
| forward tilt |
|
| forward smash |
|
| neutral aerial |
projectiles
|
| up aerial |
|
| down aerial |
|
| Metal Blade |
|
| Crash Bomber |
|
| Leaf Shield |
|
| Mega Legends |
black hole bomb explosion
|
| Mewtwo |
forward smash |
sweetspot
|
| up smash |
|
| down smash |
|
| Shadow Ball |
|
| Disable |
Disable cannot hit items in Melee, so its indirectness has no known gameplay effects.
|
| Mii Brawler |
Shot Put |
|
| Mii Gunner |
forward aerial |
|
| back aerial |
|
| up aerial |
|
| Charge Blast |
|
| Flame Pillar |
|
| Lunar Launch |
|
| Laser Blaze |
|
| Stealth Burst |
|
| Bomb Drop |
|
| Grenade Launch |
|
| Gunner Missile |
|
| Absorbing Vortex |
|
| Full Blast |
|
| Mii Swordfighter |
Gale Strike |
|
| Shuriken of Light |
|
| Chakram |
|
| Min Min |
forward smash |
dragon laser
|
| forward aerial (smash) |
dragon laser
|
| back aerial (smash) |
dragon laser
|
| Punch (neutral special) |
grounded Ramram (ring)
|
| Punch (side special) |
Ramram (ring), dragon laser
|
| Mr. Game & Watch |
neutral attack |
infinite finisher
|
| Chef |
projectiles
|
| forward aerial |
projectile
|
| up aerial |
|
| Mythra |
Ray of Punishment / Chroma Dust |
projectiles
|
| Sacred Arrow |
falling arrows and beam
|
| Ness |
dash attack |
every hitbox except largest one, ID2 of first hit
|
| PK Flash |
|
| PK Fire |
|
| PK Thunder |
projectile
|
| PSI Magnet |
|
| PK Starstorm |
|
| Olimar |
forward smash |
|
| up smash |
|
| down smash |
|
| Pikmin Throw |
Purple, SSE
|
| Pac-Man |
Bonus Fruit |
|
| Fire Hydrant |
|
| Palutena |
forward smash |
windboxes
|
| up smash |
|
| down smash |
windboxes
|
| Autoreticle |
|
| Explosive Flame |
|
| Black Hole Laser |
|
| Peach |
Toad |
|
| Vegetable |
|
| Pichu |
Thunder Jolt |
|
| Thunder |
projectile
|
| Pikachu |
Thunder Jolt |
|
| Thunder |
projectile
|
| Piranha Plant |
Ptooie |
|
| Poison Breath |
projectile
|
| Pit |
Palutena's Arrow |
|
| Palutena's Army |
|
| Palutena Bow |
|
| Guardian Orbitars |
|
| Three Sacred Treasures |
|
| Pokémon Trainer |
Triple Finish |
|
| Pyra |
Blazing End |
projectile
|
| Prominence Revolt |
projectile
|
| Burning Sword |
flame pillar
|
| R.O.B. |
up smash |
|
| forward smash |
|
| neutral aerial |
|
| back aerial |
|
| down aerial |
|
| Robo Beam |
|
| Gyro |
|
| Diffusion Beam |
|
| Super Diffusion Beam |
|
| Guided Robo Beam |
|
| Richter |
Axe |
|
| Cross |
|
| Holy Water |
|
| Ridley |
Plasma Breath |
|
| Robin |
up smash |
Levin clean hit sourspot
|
| down smash |
Levin shockwave
|
| Thunder |
|
| Arcfire |
|
| Elwind |
|
| Nosferatu |
grab looping hits
|
| discarded Levin sword and tomes |
|
| Rosalina & Luma |
Star Bits |
|
| Power Star |
|
| Grand Star |
|
| Roy |
Critical Hit |
|
| Ryu |
Hadoken |
|
| Shin Shoryuken / Shinku Hadoken |
for Shin Shoryuken, only the first hit
|
| Samus |
Charge Shot |
|
| Missile |
|
| Bomb |
|
| Zero Laser |
except arm cannon at start
|
| Grapple Beam |
|
| Sephiroth |
down aerial |
landing sourspot
|
| Flare / Megaflare / Gigaflare |
|
| Shadow Flare |
|
| Scintilla |
|
| Sheik |
neutral attack |
infinite finisher
|
| Needle Storm |
|
| Light Arrow |
hit 1
|
| Burst Grenade |
|
| Sheikah Dance |
dash
|
| Simon |
Axe |
|
| Cross |
|
| Holy Water |
|
| Snake |
up smash (missile) |
flying only
|
| down smash |
|
| forward smash |
|
| Hand Grenade |
|
| Remote Missile |
|
| Cypher |
|
| C4 |
|
| Grenade Launcher |
|
| taunt |
|
| Sonic |
Spring Jump |
|
| Sora |
up tilt |
hit 1
|
| up smash |
hit 1
|
| Magic |
projectiles
|
| Sealing the Keyhole |
|
| Squirtle |
up smash |
|
| Water Gun |
charged only
|
| Steve |
down tilt |
|
| up smash |
|
| down smash |
|
| down aerial |
|
| Minecart |
|
| TNT |
|
| Terry |
Power Wave |
|
| Triple Wolf |
|
| Power Geyser |
|
| Toon Link |
Hero's Bow |
|
| Boomerang |
|
| Bomb |
|
| Triforce Slash |
|
| Villager |
dash attack |
|
| forward smash |
|
| up smash |
projectile
|
| forward aerial |
|
| back aerial |
|
| Lloid Rocket |
|
| Timber |
water , tree, woodchip
|
| Wario |
forward smash |
farthest hitbox
|
| Chomp |
bite, explosion
|
| Wario Bike |
thrown, tires
|
| Wario-Man |
up smash |
wind
|
| forward smash |
front
|
| Chomp |
bite, explosion
|
| Wario Bike |
thrown, tires
|
| Wii Fit Trainer |
Sun Salutation |
|
| Header |
projectile
|
| Wii Fit |
|
| Wolf |
Blaster |
projectile
|
| Wolf Flash |
projectile
|
| Landmaster |
shot
|
| Yoshi |
Egg Throw |
|
| Yoshi Bomb |
projectiles
|
|
