Helpless

A frame from Mario's helpless animation in Super Smash Bros.

Helpless (also known as freefall, special fall and various other names, and called "fallspecial" in game data) is a state in which characters are unable to take any action, with the exception of grabbing a ledge, maneuvering left/right, fastfalling, or climbing a ladder, until they land on the ground or pass a blast line. Helplessness is typically associated with just having used one's recovery move(s), namely the up special, though some other special moves that provide additional movement also incur this state. Before Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, many special moves involving controllable projectiles (such as Ness's PK Flash and Zelda's Din's Fire) caused helplessness.

Some special moves are programmed to transition to helplessness early upon contact with a platform. In the case of soft platforms, holding down to drop through them will result in the player becoming helpless before the move is usually over, though it can also be seen if the user breaks the platform it landed on with the landing potion of the attack (where applicable), or if blown off the platform with a move that deals no hitstun.

Helplessness most commonly ends upon landing on the ground or being KO'd, although it also ends if characters flinch, allowing them to attack or re-use their triple jump. A helpless character is denoted by both a flickering black overlay and a distinct falling animation.

A state similar to helplessness exists in falling after having one's shield broken and then being stunned.

Curiously, the helpless state gives characters an extra ability in Super Smash Bros.: the ability to fall through soft platforms without landing on them. Starting in Super Smash Bros. Melee, this can be done at any time (not just when a character is helpless).

Moves that invoke helplessness

Character	Move	Type	Games	Notes
Sora	Aerial Sweep	Up Special		Sora can input Sonic Blade at the apex of the move for an additional boost to his recovery.
Ike	Aether	Up Special		Normally, the move does not end until Ike lands on the ground, grabs the edge of a stage, or bypasses the lower blast line. However, if the platform Ike has landed on disappears or something causes him to slide off while he is still in the landing animation (such as falling off a conveyor belt), he will become helpless.
Pichu	Agility	Up Special
All	Air dodge			Melee only.
Shulk	Air Slash	Up Special
Mii Swordfighter	Airborne Assault	Side Special		In Ultimate, a half-second window is granted after the move's usage to execute other actions before the helplessness is inflicted.
Mii Gunner	Arm Rocket	Up Special
Villager, Isabelle	Balloon Trip	Up Special		Can happen sooner if balloons are popped by opponents. Villager's helpless animation is based on that of the "defeated" animation from Balloon Fight.
Ice Climbers	Belay	Up Special
Sephiroth	Blade Dash / Octaslash	Up Special
Roy	Blazer	Up Special
Zero Suit Samus	Boost Kick	Up Special
Sheik	Burst Grenade	Side Special		Does not cause helplessness in Ultimate.
Mii Gunner	Cannon Uppercut (SSB4)/Cannon Jump Kick (SSBU)	Up Special		Functionally identical to one another, with only the animations being any different.
Cloud	Climhazzard	Up Special		If the follow-up attack is executed, Cloud will fall rapidly; normally, he will plummet until he either hits solid ground, grabs the edge of a stage, or bypasses the lower blast line. However, if the platform Cloud has landed on disappears or something causes him to slide off while he is still in the landing animation (such as falling off a conveyor belt), he will become helpless. Additionally, in exceptionally tall stages (such as a custom stage or Smash Run), Cloud enters helplessness after one full second.
Wario	Corkscrew	Up Special
Incineroar	Cross Chop	Up Special		Incineroar will only enter helplessness if it fails to hit solid ground again upon rebounding after using the move.
Daisy	Daisy Parasol	Up Special		Daisy only enters helplessness if she decides to fastfall (which retracts the parasol) after using the move — she can also end the helplessness and resume parachuting by pressing up (re-opening it). Additionally, Daisy will automatically enter helplessness after eight full seconds of floating.
Ganondorf	Dark Dive	Up Special		If the move's grab connects with an opponent, Ganondorf does not become helpless and can use the move again.
Meta Knight	Dimensional Cape	Down Special
Zelda	Din's Fire	Side Special		Does not cause helplessness in Ultimate.
Marth, Lucina	Dolphin Slash	Up Special
Corrin	Dragon Ascent	Up Special
Meta Knight	Drill Rush	Side Special
Duck Hunt	Duck Jump	Up Special		In Ultimate, the duo can cancel the move into an attack or an air dodge, after which they will still become helpless.
Yoshi	Egg Roll	Side Special		Does not cause helplessness in SSB4 or Ultimate.
Steve	Elytra	Up Special		In addition to normal helplessness when the move ends, Steve can also cause his glide to stall if he climbs too far.
Lucario	Extreme Speed	Up Special		If Lucario hits a wall during the move, it will wall cling instead of becoming helpless. However, it cannot use the move again.
Falco	Falco Phantasm	Side Special		Does not cause helplessness in SSB4 or Ultimate.
Captain Falcon	Falcon Dive	Up Special		Like Dark Dive, if the move connects with an opponent, Captain Falcon does not become helpless and can use the move again.
Zelda	Farore's Wind	Up Special
Kirby	Final Cutter	Up Special		Normally, the move does not end until Kirby lands on the ground, grabs the edge of a stage, or bypasses the lower blast line. However, if the platform Kirby has landed on disappears or something causes him to slide off while he is still in the landing animation (such as falling off a conveyor belt), he will become helpless.
Mr. Game & Watch	Fire	Up Special		Only causes helplessness in Melee.
Falco	Fire Bird	Up Special
Fox	Fire Fox	Up Special
Wolf	Fire Wolf	Up Special
Ganondorf	Flame Choke	Side Special		If the move connects with an opponent, Ganondorf does not become helpless, although he (and his victim) will fall until he hits the ground or bypasses the lower blast line. If the opponent mashes out of the move before hitting the ground in Ultimate, Ganondorf does not become helpless.
Charizard	Fly	Up Special
Fox	Fox Illusion	Side Special		Does not cause helplessness in SSB4 or Ultimate.
Ganondorf	Gerudo Dragon	Side Special		Melee only.
Donkey Kong	Giant Punch	Neutral Special		Does not cause helplessness in SSB or Ultimate.
Meta Knight, Charizard, Pit	Gliding			If the user has used all their double jumps, they are put into helplessness once the glide ends (either by stalling or by attacking). Brawl only.
Samus	Grapple Beam	Grab aerial		Melee only.
Mii Brawler	Headache Maker	Side Special
Wii Fit Trainer	Header	Side Special		Only causes helplessness if the user airdodges during the move.
Mii Brawler	Helicopter Kick	Up Special
Mii Swordfighter	Hero's Spin	Up Special
Link, Young Link	Hookshot	Grab aerial		Melee only.
Greninja	Hydro Pump	Up Special
Little Mac	Jolt Haymaker	Side Special		Does not cause helplessness in Ultimate.
Palutena	Jump Glide	Up Special		Attacking while under the move's effect cancels the glide and triggers helplessness.
Rosalina & Luma	Launch Star	Up Special
Villager	Lloid Rocket	Side Special		Villager only enters helplessness if he rides then jumps off of the Lloid Rocket, does not hit an opponent during the ride, or if Lloid is destroyed. Based on defeated animation of Balloon Fighter.
Mii Gunner	Lunar Launch	Up Special
Meta Knight	Mach Tornado	Neutral Special
Robin	Nosferatu	Down Special		Robin only enters helplessness after Nosferatu finishes dealing damage to an opponent in mid-air or over a temporary platform that is no longer active.
Mii Brawler	Onslaught	Side Special
Pac-Man All	Pac-Jump	Up Special		All jumps trigger helplessness for Pac-Man. When the trampoline is red, both Pac-Man or any other character who lands on it will instantaneously enter helplessness.
Peach	Peach Parasol	Up Special		Peach only enters helplessness if she decides to fastfall (which retracts the parasol) after using the move — she can also end the helplessness and resume parachuting by pressing up (re-opening it). However, if Peach is under the effects of items that make her shrink or grow while she fastfalls, she will become helpless, as her parasol disappears once she's back to normal. In SSB4 and Ultimate, Peach will automatically enter helplessness after eight full seconds of floating. The Parasol item allows any character to do this in Melee.
Mythra	Photon Edge	Side Special
Olimar	Pikmin Chain	Up Special		Normally, Pikmin Chain makes Olimar helpless after the move is used in the air. However, if he uses grounded Pikmin Chain and the platform he's standing on disappears (such as falling off a conveyor belt), or he uses ground Pikmin Chain while the stage is rotating, he will become helpless. Brawl only.
Piranha Plant	Piranhacopter	Up Special
Mii Brawler	Piston Punch	Up Special		Only available in SSB4.
Ness	PK Flash	Neutral Special		Does not cause helplessness in Ultimate.
Lucas, Ness	PK Freeze	Neutral Special		Does not cause helplessness in Ultimate. Ness's variant is accessible via SSB4 customs only.
Lucas, Ness	PK Thunder	Up Special
Pit, Dark Pit	Power of Flight	Up Special
Pyra	Prominence Revolt	Up Special		Normally, the move does not end until Pyra lands on the ground, grabs the edge of a stage, or bypasses the lower blast line. However, if the platform Pyra has landed on disappears or something causes her to slide off while she is still in the landing animation (such as falling off a conveyor belt), she will become helpless.
King K. Rool	Propellerpack	Up Special		Normally, when King K. Rool uses the move, he will enter a slow fluttering state when it ends. However, if he fastfalls during this state, he will enter the helpless animation. While K. Rool is not technically considered helpless during the