Super Smash Bros. series

Invincibility

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Pac-Man demonstrates invincibility due to the Super Star.

Invincibility is a state where a hurtbox cannot be attacked or damaged. Attacks will connect, but will not deal damage, knockback, or hitstun, though the attacker will still experience hitlag. Invincibility should not be confused with intangibility or armor, as all three are different mechanics with different effects.

Overview[edit]

There are many ways to achieve invincibility in game. The most common way is to respawn, where the player is invincible for a certain amount of time after leaving the revival platform. Certain attacks also have invincibility, some covering the whole body and others only covering certian hitboxes. If a player attacks an opponent while they are invincible, the player will receive the normal amount of hitlag, but the opponent will otherwise be unaffected. Characters who are invincible can still be affected by certain windboxes, as well as Master Giant's grab attack in Smash 4. This can be incredibly useful for the opponent, as they can capitalize on the opponent still being in hitlag and punish them or bait a certain reaction by using an attack with invincibility.

Invincibility does have a somewhat niche downside in that on the Planet Zebes, Brinstar, and Norfair stages, invincible characters will fall straight through the stage's lower hazard, rather than sustaining damage and bouncing back up. They may occasionally also be KO'd if they are standing on the track on Port Town Aero Dive, and both the Melee Mute City and the Smash 3DS Mute City.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee's debug menu, invincibility is displayed by affected hurtboxes changing from their usual yellow color to a green color during the invincibility period. A similar feature is present in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Training Mode via an invincibility toggle, which causes invincible parts of characters to acquire a green tint.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, it is actually possible to hit an opponent normally out of invincibility. If an attack connects while the opponent is invincible and then the invincibility ends while the attacker is still in hitlag, the attack will actually hit the opponent when they become vulnerable due to the hitlag extending the duration of the hitbox. This is only the case in Brawl however, as in every other game the attack will not connect against the opponent once they become vulnerable.

Ultimate introduced Sora, who possesses a counter that staggers any opponent that connects an attack. This can even stagger fully invincible characters, forcing them out of invincibility.

While the differences are seemingly minor, invincibility is different from both intangibility and armor. Intangibility is where a character cannot be hit at all, not even triggering hitlag. Armor is where a character sustains damage, but not knockback. Armor can also sometimes be broken with regular attacks outside of the Sora example.

List of invincible attacks[edit]

An icon for denoting incomplete things.
  • Smash attacks in this table are not charged.
  • All attacks from Smash 4 and Ultimate display invincibility values as of their latest updates.
User/Item Move Part of Character Invincibility Frames Notes
By Characters
All characters Throws Entire body VariesSuper Smash Bros.Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
1-8Super Smash Bros. MeleeSuper Smash Bros. Brawl
1-18Super Smash Bros. 4
*Super Smash Bros. UltimateInvincibility lasts until the opponent is thrown
Respawn 120Super Smash Bros.Super Smash Bros. MeleeSuper Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. 4
Varies (60-120)Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
*Commences the moment the character dismounts from the Revival Platform
**Super Smash Bros. UltimateThe amount of invincibility frames decreases the longer it takes to dismount from the Revival Platform
Banjo & Kazooie Wonderwing Entire body 18-53 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate *Vulnerable to grabs
Bowser Back aerial Shell 3-15Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Forward smash Feet 20-25Super Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Up smash Shell 14-27Super Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Fox Fire Fox Entire body 29-42Super Smash Bros. *Only grants invincibility in the NTSC-J version
Hero Forward tilt Left arm and leg 9-11Super Smash Bros. Ultimate *Grants invincibility on just the left arm for frames 10-11
Kaclang Entire body 15-314Super Smash Bros. Ultimate *Only vulnerable to another Hero using Metal Slash
Hocus Pocus Entire body 1-600Super Smash Bros. Ultimate *One of the rare random effects of Hocus Pocus is giving Hero the effect of a Super Star, doing so 1.22% of the time.
Ice Climbers Belay Partner 16-33Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Ike Counter Entire body 11-16 (startup), 1-6 (counterattack)Super Smash Bros. Brawl
9-16 (startup); 1-5 (counterattack)Super Smash Bros. 4
Incineroar Darkest Lariat Entire body 5-57Super Smash Bros. Ultimate *Applies invincibility to:
**Entire body on frames 5-6
**Head and arms on frame 7
**Arms on frames 8-57
Lucas Up smash Entire body 1-4Super Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. 4
1-7Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Luigi Luigi Cyclone Entire body 4-8 (ground), 1-7 (midair)Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Mii Brawler Flashing Mach Punch Entire body 11-66Super Smash Bros. Ultimate *Only if the attack lands
Mr. Game & Watch Up smash Head, arm, and footSuper Smash Bros. 4
Entire bodySuper Smash Bros. Ultimate
4-25Super Smash Bros. 4
21-25Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
*Super Smash Bros. 4The arm and foot which are intangible depends on the direction Mr. Game & Watch is facing.
Ness PK Thunder Entire body 1-9Super Smash Bros.
1-17Super Smash Bros.(NTSC-J)
*Applies to PK Thunder 2 only
Palutena Dash attack Upper body 4-15Super Smash Bros. 4
5-16Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
*Super Smash Bros. UltimateAfter frame 6, invincibility applies to her left arm
Back aerial 3-10Super Smash Bros. 4
7-10Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
*Super Smash Bros. UltimateAfter frame 7, invincibility applies to her left arm
Ridley Skewer Entire body 4-47Super Smash Bros. Ultimate *When sweetspotted
R.O.B. Diffusion Beam Entire body 1~ Super Smash Bros. Brawl *Lasts while the beam is active
Rosalina & Luma Luma Shot Luma 4-20Super Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate *Only when fully charged
Samus Screw Attack Entire body 1-5 (ground)Super Smash Bros.
1-11 (NTSC-J ground)Super Smash Bros.
1-3 (midair)Super Smash Bros.
Snake Covering Fire Entire body 1~Super Smash Bros. Ultimate *Lasts until Snake gets up from his kneeling posture
Sonic Super Sonic Entire body 1~Super Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. 4 *Lasts for the entire duration
Squirtle Withdraw Entire body 20~Super Smash Bros. Brawl
22~Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
*Unlike other instances of invincibility, instead of collision "bubbles" appearing when an attack lands and a blunt sound effect being heard, one can both hear and see the attack's visual effects as if there were no invincibility frames at all
Yoshi Shield Entire body 1-3 (activation)Super Smash Bros.
1-6 (activation)Super Smash Bros. Melee
*Super Smash Bros. Melee Starting from frame 3, Yoshi is considered to be in shield so he will shield attacks from this point onwards.
By Items
Dragoon Entire body 1-119Super Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate *After the attack, while descending back to the stage
Golden Hammer Entire body 1Super Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate *Also affects the opponent
*Lasts until hitstun ends
Hammer
Super Star Entire body 1-600 Super Smash Bros.Super Smash Bros. MeleeSuper Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate *
By Pokémon
Ditto Varies VariesSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate *When performing any move or action that grants invincibility
By Stage Element
Mushroom Kingdom (SSB) (Warp Pipes) Entire body 1-49Super Smash Bros. Ultimate *When emerging from a pipe
PictoChat 2 (Pipes) Entire body 1-51Super Smash Bros. Ultimate *When emerging from a pipe

Trivia[edit]

  • If the Shadow Assist Trophy freezes a character while invincible, the character will remain invincible until being unfrozen. This offers some niche competitive strategies where an affected character can achieve invincibility before being frozen and get several seconds where they are unable to receive damage.