Item

A Party Ball breaks open releasing various items in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

An item is an object that appears during a match which can be picked up and used by characters. Many items can be wielded once picked up, while others apply an effect, and almost all can be thrown at opponents. Items are not to be confused with projectiles, as those cannot be picked up and sometimes can be caused by items. Items are a large part of the gameplay of the Super Smash Bros. series, particularly on a casual level where chaotic fun is prioritized over serious competition. However, items cause problems at a competitive level and, with some exceptions, are universally banned from tournaments.

Overview

There are several ways for items to appear during a game. The most iconic way is to randomly appear during a game. Items appear from stage-dependent designated locations at various times throughout a match, based on the frequency set in the Item Switch. Certain stages also automatically spawn specific items during stage events. Ultimate introduced the feature to turn stage hazards off, which for the most part included item spawning. Several characters can also summon specific items with their given moveset, most often a special move. These items mostly spawn consistently, though some spawn randomly.

Characters can pick up items by standing near one and pressing the attack button. Aside from heavy items and Grass, they can also be grabbed in midair with the grab button starting in Melee. Brawl onward further ease item grabbing by allowing it during the start of air dodges, dash attacks, and aerial attacks, with a window of 5 frames for each, causing the user to obtain the item while proceeding with their action. In Ultimate, this is further expanded to tilt attacks, though with a shorter window of 2 frames. The player that picked up the item is considered the owner, meaning said player benefits from its positive effects and/or is immune to its negative effects barring a few items that affect all characters indiscriminately. If another character manages to take the item before it activates, either out of the air or before it detonates, ownership changes to that character. A few items can also change ownership after activating if they are attacked by an opponent. Some items are designated as heavy which, when held, put the character in a special state where they appear to struggle to hold the item up. Characters move slower in this state and the throwing animation is longer than normal. The only exception is Donkey Kong who, while unable to dash, uses his cargo throw to walk at his normal speed.

Characters can only hold one item at a time (if Villager's Pocket ability is discounted). If an item is left alone, it will eventually disappear, flashing briefly beforehand (Pitfalls and Green Shells being exceptions). Items picked up by characters can be dropped or thrown with the grab button, and may be dropped if the character takes damage. The damage done by a thrown item depends on how fast it is moving. Most items can also be swallowed starting in Brawl, and starting in Smash 4, can even heal these characters when they do so, unless the item is explosive, which deal minor damage.

In Smash 64, items (except for Super Stars) have a small triangular indicator above them. This feature was dropped in Melee and reintroduced in Smash 4 (except for Food, Smash Balls, and a complete Daybreak). Starting in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Olimar can also use Pikmin Throw to have Pikmin bring most items to him.

Item drop chance

In all games, the chance of a character with a held item dropping it when hit by an attack depends on the damage dealt by said attack. In Smash 64 and Melee, the formula is base damage / 60, so for example, an attack that deals 6% damage has a 10% chance of causing the target to drop their held item, while Roy's fully charged Flare Blade in Melee (which deals 50% damage) has a 83.333% chance of doing so.

From Brawl onward, this probability was decreased; normal items use the formula base damage / 70, with the base damage rounded up. In addition, a few items use non-standard formulas for their drop chance:

• The chance of a character dropping a Smash Ball is (base damage * 2 + handicap) / 100, with the base damage rounded down. handicap changes depending on the user's stock difference relative to the target (or score in a time battle), being equal to 30 if the user has a stock deficit, -30 if they have a stock lead, and 0 if they are equal in stocks with the target. As a result, players at a disadvantage have a better chance to steal Final Smashes from opponents, while being less prone to dropping their own.
• The chance of a character dropping a Dragoon or Daybreak part is (base damage * 2 + handicap) / 100 in Brawl, and (base damage + handicap) / 100 in Smash 4 and Ultimate, with the base damage rounded down. handicap works the same way as in the Smash Ball formula, but with a value of 15 instead of 30.
• In Smash 4 and Ultimate, shooting items (such as the Ray Gun and Super Scope) that have run out of ammo have a nearly guaranteed drop chance, using the formula base damage / 2, in addition to always disappearing upon touching the ground if dropped. This causes them to be removed from play more easily after they have been used up.

Types of items

Items can be grouped into several categories based on their attributes and effects. Note that some items behave in ways that can fit into multiple categories.

• Container items release other items once broken open, which can be done either by attacking them or by picking up and throwing them. In general, container items have a 12.5% (1 in 8) chance of exploding instead of releasing items.
• Battering items are wielded by characters once picked up, turning their neutral attack, forward tilt, dash attack, and forward smash into an item swipe.
• Shooting items fire projectiles when used, typically replacing the neutral attack and neutral aerial of the user. They all have limited ammunition and will merely shoot blanks once it runs out. In SSB4 and Ultimate, trying to shoot an empty item will instead simply throw it.
• Throwing items can only be thrown at opponents. Holding a throwing item means that a character cannot use most of their attacks, as pressing the attack button will simply throw the item.
• Explosive items cause an explosion when activated, then disappear from the field. Most explosive items are also throwing items, but there are exceptions.
• Status items apply some sort of effect to the user, often beneficial but not necessarily. Some status items only need contact to be used (instead of needing to be grabbed). The ones that do need to be grabbed can be picked up even if the character is already holding an item; no such items exist in the original Super Smash Bros.
• Recovery items decrease the damage of the user (or increase their HP in Stamina mode). Starting in Melee, recovery items can be picked up even when the character is already holding an item.
• Summoning items release an ally that fights alongside whoever activates the item.
• Collectible items do not affect the match but instead are added to the player's collection once picked up. They can be picked up even if the character is already holding an item. Computer players will not attempt to pick up collectible items, but if they do so accidentally they will not count.
• Special items do not fit into the above categories.

In addition to the above, certain items are considered heavy, which limits those that pick them up into walking slowly (or not at all in SSB) and throwing. Only Donkey Kong can jump or fall off ledges while carrying a heavy item without dropping them, gains a small amount of super armor, and before Smash 4 was the only character whose movement was unaffected while carrying heavy items.

Regular items

These items are available in the item switch menu. Some items like containers are grouped together, but the player can toggle all of these items on or off and set the frequency in which they appear.

Item						Type	Heavy	Notes	Universe
Assist Trophy						Summoning		When picked up, after the character lands on the ground, they will perform a short animation and summon a random character to aid them in the fight.	Super Smash Bros.
Back Shield						Status		Defends the wearer from attacks towards their back.	Kid Icarus
Banana Gun						Shooting		Ejects the banana out of the peel and the player is left with the banana peel after using it.	Super Smash Bros.
Banana Peel						Throwing		Once thrown, trips opponents that touch it. Diddy Kong can summon these by using his down special, Banana Peel, leading into deadly mindgames and combo/KO setups. Players also spawn one after using Banana Gun	Mario
Barrel						Container		Once thrown, struck, or landed on a slope, may roll across the stage and damage what it hits before breaking. Has a one-in-eight chance of exploding.	Super Smash Bros.
Barrel Cannon	**		*	**	**	Throwing		Once thrown or it lands on a hill, grabs and launches the first character it hits. Disappears very quickly.	Donkey Kong
Beam Sword						Battering		Starting in Melee, gets longer when swung depending on character. Prior to Super Smash Bros. 4, Peach had a rare chance of plucking one when using Vegetable.	Super Smash Bros.
Beastball						Throwing		Reappears near an opponent after being thrown and targets them, covered in flames.	Super Smash Bros.
Beehive						Throwing		Can be thrown at opponents. If attacked or thrown at a player, it summons bees that attack the player that attacked it or was hit by it.	Animal Crossing
Beetle						Throwing		Can be thrown towards an opponent, and the item will grab the opponent and fly off into the air with them. Can be reversed by hitting it.	The Legend of Zelda
Black Hole						Throwing		Creates a massive black hole, dragging all items and players nearby in. Throws the opposite side of user's orientation.	Super Smash Bros.
Blast Box						Explosive		Very poor throwing distance. Explodes upon taking 30% damage or a flame attack.	Super Smash Bros.
Bob-omb						Explosive/Throwing		Very powerful explosive. If not grabbed within a few seconds of its appearance, it lights its own fuse and begins walking around, exploding on any character it meets. If it doesn't meet a character it will blow itself up after a while. Peach has a rare chance of plucking one when using Vegetable.	Mario
Bombchu						Explosive/Throwing		Can move up walls and across floors and ceilings. Explodes on contact with opponent.	The Legend of Zelda
Bomber						Explosive		Explodes in the player's hand when used. Only affects enemies.	Kirby
Boomerang						Throwing		Can be thrown at and grabbed by opponents. Returns to the thrower unless intercepted. Gains power when caught.	Mario
Boss Galaga						Special		Carries foes upward to the top of the screen. Can be destroyed by attacking it.	Galaxian
Bullet Bill		*	*			Transformation		Transforms the user into a Bullet Bill and launches them in a specified direction, dealing big damage to anyone they hit along the way. After a set distance, the user returns to normal. Can be reflected.	Mario
Bumper						Throwing		Can be placed on the stage or (starting in Brawl) set in midair, where it will knock away characters that touch it. If two or more are present, they can be used to momentarily trap characters by bouncing them back and forth.	Super Smash Bros.
Bunny Hood						Status		Increases the user's movement speed, jump height, and falling speed.	The Legend of Zelda
Capsule						Container		Contains a single item. Has a one-in-eight chance of exploding.	Super Smash Bros.
Cloaking Device						Status		Renders the user mostly invisible and makes them immune to damage (but not knockback).	Perfect Dark
Cracker Launcher						Shooting/Explosive		Shoots explosive fireworks. Limits the user to walking and a single jump, and automatically dropped from any flinch.	Super Smash Bros.
Crate						Container		Contains many items. Has a one-in-eight chance of exploding when thrown, or hit with enough force to break.	Super Smash Bros.
Cucco						Throwing		Can be thrown at opponents. If attacked or thrown at a player, it summons various Cuccos that attack the player that attacked it or was hit by it.	The Legend of Zelda
Daybreak						Special/Shooting		Appears in three pieces that must be collected all at once; characters can lose pieces from their possession when hit or KO'd. Once one character has all the pieces the weapon assembles in their hands, which they can then use at their discretion to fire a giant laser across the stage, almost guaranteed to KO anyone it hits.	Kid Icarus
Death's Scythe						Battering		Instantly KOs opponents at hig