Luigi (SSBM)/Down smash

Hitbox visualization showing Luigi's down smash.

Overview[edit]

Luigi does a swift crouch before entering into a breakdance, hitting once in front of him then once behind him, before rising back up. The move, officially and quite accurately named Breakdance Sweep, is one of Melee Luigi's signatures moves (at least more so than his other incarnations). The move, much like Luigi in Melee, is a paradox: unlike most other smash attacks, the move is shockingly fast, coming out as early as frame 5 (giving it the same start-up as his down tilt), while having below-average KO power, not being able to KO Fox until 135% on Battlefield (even before taking into account survival DI). Additionally, the move is unique for having a knockback angle of 90°, making it only one of three down smashes to have this trait (the others being Pikachu's and Bowser's) and the only down smash to have no other angles besides this one, in contrast to most down smashes which either knock back the opponent at a horizontal or a semi-spike angle.

However, what arguably sets Luigi's down smash apart from every other down smash, and even most other smash attacks, is its utility in neutral: down smash is Luigi's most common approach option from a wavedash, which, given his horrible air speed, is his most common movement tool and way to close the gap with opponents. It's difficult to challenge with most grounded moves, given the slight disjoint past his boot when the hitboxes first come out, and is decently safe on shield, being -23 on shield at worst (when only the first hit connects) but providing good pushback due to Luigi's low traction, making it exceedingly difficult to punish out of shield. Additionally, the move is very rewarding on hit, popping opponents straight into the air and setting up Luigi's oppressive combo game. The move is also difficult to punish from a crouch cancel, usually resulting in the crouch-canceller being hit by both hits of down smash, taking up to 34% (before considering staling); on the other hand, if the Luigi is the one crouch-cancelling, down smash is (aside from the rare scenarios where the spacing permits a Fire Jump Punch) usually the best option to punish the Luigi player's over-eager opponent.

All-in-all, statistically speaking, down smash is likely to be the most used Luigi attack in any competitive match for good reason. Despite its quirks as a down smash, it slots nicely into Luigi's gameplan, complimenting his ground-based movement and strong juggle combos. Competitive Smash players looking to pick up Luigi will have to throw away their preconceived notions of what a down smash is supposed to be used for, but, for those who can learn the move's role in Luigi's kit, they will find a versatile tool that can be used in a variety of different game-states.

Hitboxes[edit]

ID	Part	Damage	SD	BK	KS	FKV	Radius	Bone	Offset			Sound
Hit 1
0	0	17%	0	40	80	0	3.906	0	0.0	3.5154	11.718	Kick
1	0	17%	0	40	80	0	3.1248	0	0.0	3.5154	6.6402	Kick
Hit 2
0	0	17%	0	40	80	0	3.906	0	0.0	3.5154	-10.5462	Kick
1	0	17%	0	40	80	0	3.1248	0	0.0	3.5154	-5.859	Kick