Super Smash Bros. series

Projectile

From SmashWiki, the Super Smash Bros. wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
Sephiroth's Gigaflare is an example of a projectile.

A projectile is an attack or object that operates independently of the character that used it. They are typically used to create pressure on an opponent. This may be shield pressure or pressure to give up stage control. Common examples of projectiles include the Charge Shot, Blaster shots, and thrown items. Almost all projectiles can be reflected, while others can also be absorbed.

A majority of characters have at least one projectile attack, while some have two or even three, and for the most part, one of these projectiles serves as the character's neutral special attack. It is considered a disadvantage to lack a projectile (with there being 13 characters who do not have a projectile), as they can be very useful in both approaching and camping out opponents' approaches. Projectiles also cause the target to take hitlag while the user does not, which allows a few free frames of action.

As projectiles are (in general) considered indirect attacks, the vast majority of enemies in the Subspace Emissary resist them outside of any weak points they may have — in fact, only Porky, Meta Ridley, and Tabuu do not. Projectiles are also generally special moves executed with the B button, but since Brawl, some characters, such as Snake, Olimar, the Villager, and Mega Man, have standard attacks that are projectiles.

Projectiles used by characters[edit]

This table includes all non-Final Smash projectiles for every character, as well as some important properties of each. Note that, while a projectile may not be absorbable, that does not exclude the ability to be Pocketed.

Character Projectiles Reflectable Absorbable Unique/Special Properties
Banjo & Kazooie Egg Firing / Breegull Blaster Yes No
Shock Spring Jump (aerial usage) Yes No
Rear Egg Yes Yes The explosions can be absorbed
Bayonetta Bullet Climax Yes No Chargeable, though that only affects the first two shots. Pressing the special move button repeatedly causes her to continue firing.
Bowser Fire Breath Yes Yes Size and length decreases as Bowser continues to breathe, and releasing the special move button causes the move to passively charge up over time
Bowser Jr. Mechakoopa Yes No
Abandon Ship! No No The Clown Car becomes a projectile after being abandoned.
Clown Cannon Yes No
Byleth Failnaught Yes Yes/No Only the max charged arrows can be absorbed.
Charizard Flamethrower Yes Yes Can be tilted up and down. Can be held forever, but fire length gradually decreases.
Rock Smash fragments Yes No  
Cloud Blade Beam Yes Yes
Corrin Dragon Fang Shot Yes Yes Only the projectile attack can be absorbed. Can be charged to change size and damage.
Daisy Toad Yes Yes The spores produced on a successful counterattack are projectiles.
Vegetable Yes No Produces a vegetable item, and rarely Bob-ombs or Mr. Saturns.
Dark Pit Silver Bow Yes Yes Chargeable and controllable. Can be held for a slightly limited time, and can be aimed up.
Dark Samus Charge Shot Yes Yes Follows straight trajectory; chargeable. Can be charged while on the ground or in midair. Fired at a lower elevation compared to Samus.
Missile Yes No Can fire a homing missile or super missile.
Bomb Yes No Detonates either instantly upon contact with an opponent or after a set period of time.
Diddy Kong Peanut Popgun Yes No Can be charged, which increases damage and speed while flattening the movement angle, but charging too much causes the move to fail. Can be grabbed and subsequently thrown as an item. The overcharge explosion in SSB4 cannot be reflected or absorbed.
Banana Peel Yes No Produces a Banana Peel.
Rocketbarrel Boost (when the barrels come off) Yes NoSuper Smash Bros. Brawl
YesSuper Smash Bros. 4
Has a random trajectory. Cannot be shielded. The barrels explode when crashing into the stage, which can be absorbed in SSB4.
Dr. Mario Megavitamins Yes YesSuper Smash Bros. Melee
NoSuper Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Affected by gravity, and bounces on the ground.
Duck Hunt Trick Shot Yes Yes Can be launched higher and/or farther by pressing the special move button repeatedly. Explodes after a while, or if it hits an enemy. The explosion alone can be absorbed, but the hit right before it cannot.
Clay Shooting Yes Yes The clay pigeon is shot if the special move button is pressed, and the resulting explosion of the pigeon can be absorbed. If hit by an attack (including ones that normally would reflect projectiles), then it breaks automatically.
Wild Gunman Yes No
Falco Blaster Yes Yes Follows a straight trajectory, and causes flinching. The lasers are also used in his back, up, and down throws, and can also be reflected and absorbed in said moves.
Reflector NoSuper Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate
YesSuper Smash Bros. 4
No Considered a projectile in Brawl and SSB4. Reflectors do not affect the trajectory, but they will reflect the hitbox.
Up throw (blaster) Yes Yes The lasers fired from the blaster are projectiles
Back throw (blaster) Yes Yes The lasers fired from the blaster are projectiles
Down throw (blaster) Yes Yes The lasers fired from the blaster are projectiles
Fox Blaster Yes Yes Follows a straight trajectory, and does not cause flinching (except in Smash 64). The lasers are also used in Fox's back, up and down throws from Melee onward, and can also be reflected and absorbed in said moves.
Up throw (blaster) Yes Yes The lasers fired from the blaster are projectiles
Back throw (blaster) Yes Yes The lasers fired from the blaster are projectiles
Down throw (blaster) Yes Yes The lasers fired from the blaster are projectiles
Greninja Water Shuriken Yes No
Hydro Pump Yes No Does not cause flinching.
Hero Frizz/Frizzle/Kafrizz Yes Yes
Woosh/Swoosh/Kaswoosh Yes No
Command Selection (Snooze) Yes Yes Puts opponents to sleep
Command Selection (Sizz) Yes Yes
Command Selection (Sizzle) Yes Yes
Command Selection (Bang) Yes Yes
Command Selection (Kaboom) Yes Yes
Command Selection (Whack) Yes Yes Can instantly KO opponents
Command Selection (Thwack) Yes Yes Can instantly KO opponents
Ice Climbers Ice Shot Yes YesSuper Smash Bros. Melee
NoSuper Smash Bros. Brawl
Bounces off shields, causing it to travel the other direction. Hugs the ground, following a straight trajectory.
Blizzard Yes Yes  
Inkling Splattershot Yes Yes Requires ink to use.
Splat Bomb Yes Yes A projectile that explodes after a fixed time. The bomb needs a certain amount of ink to be activated, and if the Ink Tank does not have enough ink, Inkling cannot throw a bomb. Its trajectory can be controlled by how long the player holds the special button.
Isabelle Dash attack Yes No Trips and drops a small pot.
Forward aerial Yes No Fires a slingshot pellet.
Back aerial Yes No Fires a slingshot pellet.
Lloid Trap Yes No Planted in the ground and shoots out vertically. Activates when someone steps over it.
Ivysaur Bullet Seed Yes No Can be held for limited time.
Razor Leaf Yes No Goes farther if the control stick is flicked.
Joker Eiha/Eigaon Yes Yes A slow-moving projectile which does a small amount of damage when it connects, but deals continuous damage for a short amount of time.

With Arsène active, the move becomes Eigaon, which covers more distance and travels faster. It also does more continuous damage.

Grappling Hook Yes No Reflectors will block the Grappling Hook, but will not harm Joker.
Kazuya Devil Blaster Yes Yes A long ranged projectile that can fire straight ahead, or it can be angled upward or downward.
Ken Hadoken Yes Yes A slow, blue energy projectile. Input Hadoken is larger and deals more damage.
King Dedede Inhale (spit-out character) Yes No Spits in a straight trajectory.
Waddle Dee Toss Yes/No Yes/No Affected by gravity, and can be angled up or down, and shortened or lengthened. Waddle Doos' Beam Whip can be reflected or absorbed, Gordos and thrown items can be reflected, while tossed Waddle Dees and Waddle Doos cannot.
Gordo Throw Yes No Can be reflected by any attack that deals at least 2%.
Super Dedede Jump (stars produced) Yes Yes  
King K. Rool Blunderbuss Yes No Can be sucked back in, and be shot again in certain directions. If a Kannonball hits something, it'll fall down and retain its hitbox until it disappears.
Crownerang Yes No Tries to return to King K. Rool. Grants King K. Rool damage based armor (12%) starting at frame 6 that lasts up until the move ends. Crown will always try travel in its general direction, and can't be stopped by other attacks, but it can still be reflected. If King K. Rool fails to catch the crown, it'll become an item that can be picked up by other players. The move can't be used again until King K. Rool retrieves the crown.
Kirby Inhale (spit-out character and swallow) Yes No The character turned into a star will be shot out of Kirby's mouth in a straight trajectory in front of him if he spits that character out. If he swallows a character, the star will appear behind him with the same properties but with much shorter range. If reflected and it hits Kirby, he will keep his copy ability, but the swallow animation will stop a few frames earlier.
Final Cutter (shock wave) Yes Yes Produces a wave after Kirby touches the ground, hugging it and following a straight trajectory.
May copy another character's neutral special projectile.
Link Forward smash Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Yes Yes Shoots a spinning Sword Beam, which only comes out when Link is at 0% damage.
Boomerang/Gale Boomerang Yes No Tries to return to Link. Can be angled. In Brawl and SSB4, it produces a windbox effect on return.
Bomb Yes NoSuper Smash Bros.Super Smash Bros. MeleeSuper Smash Bros. Brawl
YesSuper Smash Bros. 4
Produces a Bomb, which acts as an item. It explodes after seven seconds, and can deal self-damage.
Bow/Hero's Bow/Bow and Arrows Yes No Can be charged, and held forever (or for three seconds in Ultimate) before releasing. The charge affects the firing speed and distance. Affected by gravity, and stops moving when it hits the ground. In Ultimate, arrows dropped on the ground or attached to a wall become throwable items, and two arrows can be fired at once if Link uses his neutral special while holding an arrow.
Remote Bomb Yes Yes A bomb that bounces off opponents and has to be detonated by pressing down special again. Cannot be detonated when held or during special fall.
Lucario Aura Sphere Yes Yes Waves up and down slightly; moves perfectly straight when fully charged. Can be held indefinitely, which damages foes who touch the projectile.
Force Palm's aura Yes Yes At close range, grabs the opponent instead of spawning a projectile.
Lucas PK Freeze Yes Yes Affected by gravity, and can be tilted forward or backward.
PK Fire Yes Yes Travels directly forward, and disappears after about 3/8 of the way across Final Destination.
PK Thunder Yes Yes Controllable.
Luigi Fireball Yes Yes Follows a straight trajectory.
Grab aerial Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (after the plunger is shot out) No No Travels downward. The hitbox is active until the plunger either hits the ground or disappears.
Mario Fireball Yes Yes Affected by gravity, and bounces on the ground.
F.L.U.D.D. Yes No Pushes opponents while not inflicting any damage. Can be tilted up or down.
Mega Man Neutral attack, forward tilt and neutral aerial Yes Yes Fires up to three shots.
Forward smash Yes Yes
Up aerial Yes No Hits opponents repeatedly and pushes them upward.
Down aerial Yes No Meteor smashes opponents.
Metal Blade Yes No
Crash Bomber Yes Yes Can be passed from player to player much like a Gooey Bomb. Explosion can be absorbed.
Leaf Shield Yes No Can only be reflected when Mega Man fires the leaves.
Mewtwo Shadow Ball Yes Yes Huge recoil when used fully charged. Waves up and down slightly. Can be held forever, and in Melee, it damages foes who touch the ball during charging. Small Shadow Balls are launched during Mewtwo's forward throw (which can also be absorbed).
Disable Yes No  
Forward throw (shadow balls) Yes Yes The shadow balls fired are projectiles
Mii Brawler Shot Put Yes No
Mii Gunner Forward aerial Yes Yes
Charge Blast Yes Yes
Laser Blaze Yes Yes
Grenade Launch Yes Yes Can be charged for longer distance. The multi-hitting explosion can be absorbed, but the hit right before it cannot.
Flame Pillar Yes Yes
Stealth Burst Yes Yes Reflectors cannot affect the projectile as it is travelling, but they will reflect the explosion.
Gunner Missile Yes No
Lunar Launch Yes Yes
Bomb Drop Yes Yes Detonates instantly upon contact with an opponent. The explosion can be absorbed, but the hit right before it cannot.
Up throw (shots) Yes Yes The shots fired from the arm cannon is a projectile
Back throw (shots) Yes Yes The shots fired from the arm cannon is a projectile
Mii Swordfighter Gale Strike Yes No
Shuriken of Light Yes No
Chakram Yes No
Min Min Punch (Ramram) No No When attacking with the Ramram, the chakram projectile is flung in an upward circle that goes away from and returns towards Min Min.
Mr. Game & Watch Chef Yes YesSuper Smash Bros. Melee
NoSuper Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Random trajectory. In Brawl, the projectiles created by Kirby copying this move can be absorbed, unlike the Mr. Game & Watch version.
Forward aerial Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Yes Yes Travels directly downward, and activates after either half a second or upon contact with the stage.
Up aerial Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Yes No Hits opponents repeatedly and pushes them upward.
Mythra Ray of Punishment / Chroma Dust Yes Yes After leaping in the air, fires a blast of light, or a fan of smaller light beams if the attack button is pressed a second time.
Ness PK Flash Yes Yes Affected by gravity and can be tilted forward and backwards.
PK Fire Yes Yes Creates gravity-affected fire pillar on impact. Trajectory changes when used in midair.
PK Thunder Yes Yes Controllable.
Olimar All smash attacks NoSuper Smash Bros. Brawl
YesSuper Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
No All of Olimar's Pikmin attacks—namely, his smash attacks, directional aerials, grabs, throws, Pikmin Chain in Brawl, and Pikmin Throw—are considered projectiles due to the Pikmin being the active object, not Olimar.
Pikmin Throw Yes No
All other Pikmin-based attacks No No
Pac-Man Bonus Fruit Yes No Effects change depending on the object thrown. All have a hurtbox which means they can take knockback.
Fire Hydrant Yes No Reflectable while airborne. Water produced by the hydrant is also reflectable.
Palutena Autoreticle Yes Yes Targets opponents; does not fire any projectiles if there are no targets in range.
Explosive Flame Yes Yes Produces a multi-hitting explosion a set distance away from Palutena.
Celestial Firework Yes Yes Flies straight upward from the ground.
Peach Toad Yes Yes The spores produced on a successful counterattack are projectiles.
Vegetable Yes No Produces a vegetable item, and rarely Bob-ombs, Mr. Saturns, or in Melee and Brawl, Beam Swords.
Pichu Thunder Jolt Yes Yes Causes 1% recoil damage (0.7% in Ultimate). Hugs the stage.
Thunder Yes Yes Causes 3% recoil damage (3.5% in Ultimate) if the bolt hits Pichu.
Pikachu Thunder Jolt Yes Yes Hugs the stage, can travel up walls, along ceilings, and below the edge (except in SSB). Has a diagonal trajectory in the air.
Thunder Yes Yes Cannot go through platforms above Pikachu.
Piranha Plant Ptooie Yes No
Poison Breath Yes No Does not cause flinching.
Pit Palutena Bow Yes Yes Chargeable and controllable. Can be held for a limited time, and can be aimed up.
Pyra Blazing End Yes No Throws her sword in a spinning motion. While the sword is out, she cannot use any attack.
Richter Axe Yes No Travels in a parabolic arc.
Cross Yes No Tries to return to Richter. Goes farther by flicking the control stick
Holy Water Yes Yes Drops diagonally downwards. Can be caught and used as a regular item that can be used against Richter.
Ridley Plasma Breath Yes Yes Consists of five projectiles that increase in size and damage when charged. Affected by gravity, bounces on the ground.
R.O.B. Robo Beam Yes Yes Can reflect off surfaces at certain angles, can be tilted up and down. Charges automatically.
Gyro Yes No Produces a Gyro item. Has a hurtbox.
Robin Discarded Levin Sword and tomes Yes No Discarded weapons act as projectiles and throwable items.
Thunder Yes Yes Properties change depending on charge level.
Arcfire Yes Yes Bursts into a column of flame on impact.
Elwind Yes Yes Can meteor smash opponents.
Rosalina Luma Shot Yes No When distanced, Luma can be called back.
Star BitsSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate Yes* Yes* *Only the two custom variants are projectiles in Smash 4; the standard move is not, which means it is neither reflectable or absorbable. As of Ultimate it is a projectile.
Ryu Hadoken Yes Yes A slow, blue energy projectile. Input Hadoken is larger and deals more damage. Shakunetsu Hadoken is orange, fiery, and deals multiple hits.
Samus Charge Shot Yes Yes Follows straight trajectory; chargeable. In Smash 64, it can go on for an infinite distance. From Melee onward, it will disappear if it doesn't hit anything for a few seconds. In Ultimate, the move can now be charged in midair, or be cancelled by jumping or air dodging, as with other chargeable moves.
Missile Yes No Can fire a homing missile or super missile.
Bomb Yes NoSuper Smash Bros.Super Smash Bros. MeleeSuper Smash Bros. Brawl
YesSuper Smash Bros. 4
Detonates either instantly upon contact with an opponent, or from Brawl onward, after a set period of time. In SSB4, the explosion can be absorbed, but the hit right before it cannot.
Sephiroth Flare / Megaflare / Gigaflare Yes Yes A chargeable attack with three stages. The attack will travel less distance the longer the move has been charged, but on the upside, the move's power and the size of the explosion increases. While charging the move can be canceled with the jumping, shielding, or dodging, it does not store the current state of the charge.
Shadow Flare Yes Yes Characters who get hit by the initial beam will be circled by balls of darkness, which will attack them after a certain amount of time. Up to five balls can circle a character at a time, and charging the move will increase the number of shadow balls circling the player on hit. Other characters can be hit by the shadow balls as they circle the target.
Scintilla Yes Yes The move itself counters attacks.
Simon Axe Yes No Travels in a parabolic arc.
Cross Yes No Tries to return to Simon. Goes farther by flicking the joystick.
Holy Water Yes Yes Drops diagonally downwards. Can be caught and used as a regular item that can be used against Simon.
Sheik Needle Storm Yes No Can be tilted up and down. Can be charged forever, but only six needles can be held and fired.
Vanish No NoSuper Smash Bros. MeleeSuper Smash Bros. Brawl
YesSuper Smash Bros. 4
Considered a projectile because the explosion and hitbox do not follow Sheik.
Burst Grenade Yes Yes Only the explosion can be absorbed.
Snake Hand Grenade Yes NoSuper Smash Bros. Brawl
YesSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate
Can be picked up, grenade itself does not cause flinching and can be tilted forward and backward (when tilted backwards it will fall next to Snake). Can also injure the user. Detonates after few seconds. Does not explode on contact.
Remote Missile Yes NoSuper Smash Bros. Brawl
YesSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate
Controllable. Shielding against it makes the user lose control of its trajectory.
Cypher (once let go of) Yes No  
Up smash Yes NoSuper Smash Bros. Brawl
YesSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate
 
Down smash Super Smash Bros. Brawl No No  
C4 No NoSuper Smash Bros. Brawl
YesSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate
 
Taunt Yes No Affected by gravity. Can be picked up by opponents (while Snake is still inside of it), though only Donkey Kong can move around while holding it.
Sonic Spring Jump (aerial usage) No No  
Sora Magic Yes Yes Contains three different spells in the following order: Firaga, Thundaga, and Blizzaga. Casting the currently active spell will change it to the next spell on the list.
Squirtle Water Gun Yes No When charged, pushes opponents and does no damage unless uncharged. Can be tilted up and down.
Steve Minecart Yes No Needs iron to use. Opponents caught in an empty minecart will need to button mash to escape.
TNT Yes Yes Characters who step on the pressure plate will take less knockback from the explosion.
Down tilt (flame) Yes Yes
Down smash (lava) Yes Yes
Down aerial (anvil) Yes No Needs iron to use.
Down throw (anvil) Yes No Needs iron to use.
Terry Power Wave Yes Yes Both grounded and aerial versions can be reflected and absorbed.
Toon Link Hero's Bow Yes No Can be charged, and held forever (three seconds in Ultimate) before releasing. The charge affects the firing speed and distance.
Boomerang Yes No Tries to return to Toon Link. Can be angled.
Bomb Yes NoSuper Smash Bros.Super Smash Bros. MeleeSuper Smash Bros. Brawl
YesSuper Smash Bros. 4Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Produces a bomb item. Explode after some seconds. Can damage the user.
Villager Dash attack Yes No Trips and drops a small potted plant.
Forward smash Yes No Drops a bowling ball.
Forward aerial Yes No Fires a slingshot pellet.
Back aerial Yes No Fires a slingshot pellet.
Lloid Rocket Yes Yes Explodes after a while or after hitting an object. Explosion alone can be absorbed.
Timber (cut tree and woodchip) Yes No
Wario Wario Bike (once dismounted, can be thrown) Yes No Can be destroyed (resulting in two tires that can also be picked up and thrown in Brawl).
Wii Fit Trainer Sun Salutation Yes Yes Heals the user when fully charged. Has a weak windbox and can be absorbed while it is being charged.
Header Yes No Heads a soccer ball at a downward angle. The ball can essentially be reflected by any attack (in some cases a reflector's hitbox will even take presidence over the reflecting effect itself). The headbutt acts as a melee attack that can meteor smash.
Wolf Blaster Yes Yes Follows straight trajectory; acts as a melee attack in close ranges.
Yoshi Egg Throw Yes No Can be tilted forward, backward, up and down (when tilted backward the egg will go next to Yoshi). Holding down the special button will make the egg travel further.
Yoshi Bomb (stars) Yes Yes  
Young Link Fire Bow Yes No Can be charged, and held forever (three seconds in Ultimate) before releasing. The charge affects the firing speed and distance.
Boomerang Yes No Tries to return to Young Link.
Bomb Yes No Produces a bomb item. Explode after some seconds. Can damage the user.
Zelda Din's Fire Yes Yes Reflectors cannot affect the projectile as it is traveling, but they will reflect the explosion.
Phantom Slash Yes No
Zero Suit Samus Paralyzer Yes Yes Stuns opponent in place. Chargeable for a limited amount of time.
Power Suit Pieces Super Smash Bros. Brawl Yes No Exclusive to her appearence in Brawl.

Starts off the match with three throwable items from her discrarded power suit. The armor pieces are very powerful if properly used as they deal high damage and knockback and synergise very well with Zero Suit Samus' long glide toss, granting her great stage control and allowing her to utilize them for combos, approaches, or even KO's if the opponent is at a high enough percent. Due to Zero Suit Samus becoming a separate character and no longer being connected to Samus in the later games, the armor pieces do not exist in Smash 4 or Ultimate and therefore, cannot be utilized.

Characters without projectiles[edit]

The following playable characters currently lack any projectiles.