Up throw

Ness using his up throw against Zelda.

An up throw (上投げ, Up/above/upper throw; commonly abbreviated as uthrow or U-Throw, and referred to as ThrowHi in Melee's Debug Menu) is a throw performed by pressing up on the Control Stick after grabbing an opponent.

Up throws were introduced in Super Smash Bros. Melee - in the original Super Smash Bros., there were only forward throws and back throws. Some of the Smash 64 characters had their old forward throw become their new up throw, such as Kirby.

Up throws are typically used for starting aerial combos. Some have such good knockback that they, in some cases, can be used to KO opponents. For some characters, such as Mewtwo, it is one of their primary attacks for KOing an enemy.

Most up throws, such as Captain Falcon's, Link's and Peach's, consist of two hits; one damages the enemy holding them in place, while the other throws them. This means that the first hit can damage enemies next to the thrown opponent, but the second hit cannot. In the case of characters with just one hit, such as Mario's or Mewtwo's, the throw cannot damage other opponents, but for some throws, after the victim is thrown, a hitbox is generated on the enemy's body for the first frames as with other strong throws, which can damage other enemies with minimal knockback.

List of up throws in Super Smash Bros. Melee[edit]

Character	Description	Damage
Bowser	Throws his foe upward a short distance then spins around in his shell. Has set knockback.	8 hits, 9% total
Captain Falcon	Punches foe upward. Can lead into several follow-ups.	4% then 3% (7% total)
Donkey Kong	Throws foe above himself with one hand. Can chaingrab fastfallers and lead into an aerial or Giant Punch.	9%
Dr. Mario	Same as Mario's.	8%
Falco	Practically the same as Fox's, except the shots make foes flinch, and it is easier to SDI out of.	7% total
Fox	Throws foe upwards and shoots four times with his blaster. The shots can be easily avoided with DI, but it can easily combo into his up aerial, tilt, and smash. The shots have no knockback, and can be reflected and absorbed.	Throw does 3%, then the shots do 1% each (7% total)
Ganondorf	Knocks opponent above himself, similar to Captain Falcon's. Excellent to set up juggles with and can be an effective chainthrow at low percentages and fastfallers at mid percentages.	3% then 4% (7% total)
Ice Climbers	Bash the foe above themselves with their hammers. Its power makes it difficult to lead into other attacks.	5% then 6% (11% total)
Jigglypuff	Tosses the foe with a trailing flash above itself by spinning. Can lead into several aerial combos against fastfallers, and can lead into a Rest for an early percentage KO, known as the space animal slayer. Was originally its forward throw in Super Smash Bros..	11%
Kirby	Flies upwards with the opponent then crashes down violently, creating a massive explosion. Can be used for Kirbycide in some situations. Uniquely, it can pass through soft platforms during the fall. Used to be his forward throw in Smash 64.	10%
Link	Throws the foe above himself, then slashes them once, knocking them upward.	5% then 2% (7% total)
Luigi	Same as Mario's.	8%
Mario	Throws opponent upward with both hands. Good way to combo into an up tilt.	8%
Marth	Powerfully throws the opponent with one arm. Despite its pretty high base knockback, it has fairly low knockback scaling, being unable to KO under 150% in most situations. It can chaingrab space animals, while being able to lead into an up tilt then another up tilt or a regrab, or an up aerial.	4%
Mewtwo	Whirls the opponent around itself with Psychic force and launches them into the air. By far the strongest up throw in the game, KOing lighter characters at around 105%. Can chaingrab fastfallers and lead into forward aerial to regrab chains, as well as up aerial and up tilt.	12%
Mr. Game & Watch	Ball - Mr. Game & Watch juggles the enemy as a ball, then launches the opponent diagonally. Only up throw in the game to release opponent at an angle. Can chaingrab fastfallers.	8%
Ness	Psychokinetically lifts the foe by swirling a finger, then throws them upward. Can chain into some of his aerials. Decent knockback.	10%
Peach	Punches foe up into the air. Can chain grab any characters except fast fallers at 0%, and can also chain grab fastfallers between 23-30% and 80-90%.	5% then 4% (9% total)
Pichu	Tosses foe up and headbutts them with electricity. Can chaingrab fast-fallers at high percentages. No recoil damage to Pichu, even though the attack consists of electricity.	5% then 4% (9% total)
Pikachu	Places the opponent on its head, then headbutts the opponent upward. This is a useful throw against fastfallers at high percentages, as it can easily lead into an up smash.	5% then 4% (9% total)
Roy	Thrusts opponent upwards. Can chain-grab the space animals at lower percentages. It is the second strongest up throw in the game.	5%
Samus	Lifts the foe upwards with her Grapple Beam, then zaps them before throwing upwards.	7%
Sheik	Launches the enemy above her with both feet. Excellent for an aerial-attack follow up, but due to low hitstun follow-ups are difficult.	5% then 3% (8% total)
Yoshi	Spits the opponent upwards.	6%
Young Link	Takes foe and swings his sword in an arc above, launching foe above. Can lead into various combos, or simply his up aerial. At high percentage it can lead to his down aerial's meteor smash (up to 200%) if timed correctly. Can KO at 210%.	5% then 2% (7% total)
Zelda	Psychically thrusts foe to the sky.	11%

List of up throws in Super Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]

Character	Description	Damage
Bowser	Tosses the opponent upwards, retreats into his shell, and spins, damaging them with his spikes. Has decent set knockback. When used as Giga Bowser, the spikes zap the foe in each hit except the throw.	9 hits of 1%. As Giga Bowser: 8 hits of 2%, then 10% (26% total)
Captain Falcon	Holds the enemy up and punches them upward with his left hand. Mainly upwards knockback, though it appears to be slightly angled. Can combine with other attacks well, such as his up special move and up aerial. This is one of Falcon's more powerful throws knockback-wise.	4% then 3% (7% total)
Charizard	Sets opponent above itself, then slams them with its head.	5% then 6% (11% total)
Diddy Kong	Throws opponent up and kicks them.	5% then 4% (9% total)
Donkey Kong	Swings his arm back and throws the opponent. High base knockback but low knockback scaling. Has fast startup.	9%
Falco	Throws opponent upward and shoots up with his Blaster. Same as Fox's, but the shots cause flinching. Nearly useless at higher percentages due to it being easy to DI out of, allowing the opponent to avoid all laser shots.	8%
Fox	Throws opponent up and shoots them with his Blaster. The shots can be avoided using DI, deal no knockback, and can be reflected and absorbed.	2%, then 3 shots of 2% (8% total)
Ganondorf	Throws opponent upward and jabs his/her back. A poor throw that isn't strong enough to KO under 200%, but its base knockback is too high to be effective at setting up more attacks at low percentages.	4% then 3% (7% total)
Ice Climbers	Throw upwards then smash with hammer. Can KO at 469%, but probably never going to.	4% then 2% (6% total)
Ike	Ike throws Ragnell into the ground and uppercuts the target into the air with one hand.	4% then 2% (6% total)
Ivysaur	Grabs opponent with vines and bounces them into the air with the bud on its back. Not quite as powerful as back throw, but still strong. Good for Bullet Seed combos.	10%
Jigglypuff	Spins and sends opponent up. Jigglypuff's strongest throw. Good finisher. Often a one-hit KO move during matches where enemies' launch resistance is decreased, such as Easy/Normal level of All-Star Mode or Multi-Man Mode.	10%
King Dedede	Hits opponent upward by sticking both his hands upward. Can set up an up aerial or a down aerial against heavy/fastfalling opponents at very low percentages, and can KO in Sudden Death. But Dedede's up throw is often neglected and rarely used because of his other throws and more useful options.	5% then 4% (9% total)
Kirby	Air Drop from Kirby's Ninja ability in Kirby Super Star or his Backdrop from Adventure. Kirby flies off the top of the screen, and comes back down violently in an explosion, like a Warp Star item. Has KO potential at very high percentages. Meta Knight shares this move as well, except without the explosion and inflicts more damage.	10%
Link	Throws foe a very short distance above him, then slashes. Can KO at high percentages.	5% then 2% (7% total)
Lucario	Uses aura to hit the opponent upwards with its paw. Extremely low knockback and damage increase (even with Aura) make this able to be combined with other attacks at practically any realistic combat percent. Lucario's best throw to set up a follow up attack (up tilt and up smash particularly). Can chain throw heavyweights and fast fallers.	From 4% to 8% (capped when at +170% damage)
Lucas	Psychokinetically tosses opponent straight up.	10%
Luigi	Faces the viewer and tosses the enemy upward. It is a throw that is inferior to his down throw for setting up due to its higher knockback.	8%
Mario	Throws his opponent high into the air. Good base knockback, but it has low knockback scaling. It can be followed by an up aerial juggle, but is mostly inferior to the down throw for setting up.	7%
Marth	Powerful upward throw with one arm. This is by far Marth's most powerful throw in terms of knockback, KOing lighter characters under 200%. It is also the only one of his throws that can KO in Sudden Death.	4%
Meta Knight	Like Kirby's, he jumps into the air holding his foe, and then crashes down. The differences are that this throw doesn't create an explosion, like Kirby's, and has less knockback. Can KO at very high percentages. Most damaging up throw (tied with Sonic's) in the game.	12%
Mr. Game & Watch	Juggles the enemy as a ball and then launches them upward.	8%
Ness	Psychokinetically spins the opponent above his head before sending them up. Leads into many PK Thunder tricks and juggles. Good knockback for an up throw, though the opponent will have to be around 200% to actually KO.	10%
Olimar	Pikmin leaps into the air (while holding opponent), turns the opponent upside-down, then slams them into the ground. With the purple pikmin, it is by far the strongest up throw in the game, being even able to star KO under 125%. It is overall the second strongest throw in the game (only Ness's back throw is stronger).	Red: 9%; Blue: 12%; Yellow: 11%; White: 6%; Purple: 11%
Peach	Puts opponent above her, and volleys them upward.	2% then 6% (8% total)
Pikachu	Headbutts opponent upward. Can combo into a Thunderspike in certain situations, but much less reliable than using an up tilt or up smash.	2 hits of 5% (10% total)
Pit	Does a handstand and kicks opponent with both feet.	5% then 6% (11% total)
R.O.B.	Grabs opponent, flies them into the air a short distance, turns them upside down, then crashes them into the ground. Can reliably KO at around 150%.	10%
Samus	Spins above her head and blasts opponent upward after zapping it.	5 hits of 1%, then 4% (9% total)
Sheik	Sheik flips upside-down and kicks the enemy with both of her feet.	2 hits of 3% (6% total)
Snake	Back suplex, similar to Jigglypuff's back throw, but knocks the opponent upwards instead.	10%
Sonic	Tosses the opponent slightly above him and then lands on his hands as if to do a push-up. His quills harden just before they make contact and the foe is slashed upwards and at an angle. Excellent juggling ability at low percentages, and at high percentages, a great way to combo into Spring Jump then an up or back aerial, though the opponent can DI horizontally to have a higher chance of avoiding this. This throw is one of the most damaging in the game percentage-wise, and is the most damaging up throw in the game (tied with Meta Knight's), along with being able to KO lightweights at surprisingly low percentages for a throw.	3% then 9% (12% total)
Squirtle	Throws its opponent upward and tackles them while in its shell. Also has moderate KO power above 150% damage.	2% then 9% (11% total)
Toon Link	Same as Link's.	5% then 2% (7% total)
Wario	Throws them into the air and jumps up, headbutting them. Good against characters with poor air defense/easy to juggle characters. Can lead to rising fully charged Wario Waft against many characters, and also put them in a good position for up aerials.	4% then 6% (10% total). As Wario-Man: 4% then 13% (17% total).
Wolf	Throws the opponent upward and slashes them with both claws. Its base knockback is too strong for Wolf to effectively follow up on.	5% then 2% (7% total)
Yoshi	Spits the opponent upwards.	5%
Zelda	Telekinetically twirls opponent above her head, then releases them upward.	11%
Zero Suit Samus	Flips into the air and kicks the opponent. Can lead into aerial followups, but it has high ending lag, so a down throw is the preferred way to combo into aerials. ZSS's most powerful throw in terms of knockback, being the only one that can reliably KO in Sudden Death.	2% then 8% (10% total)

List of up throws in Super Smash Bros. 4[edit]

Character	Description	Damage
Bayonetta	Kicks the opponent upwards. Can set up a Witch Twist against fastfallers or heavyweights.	3% (kick), 4% (throw)
Bowser	Tosses the opponent upwards, retreats into his shell, and spins, damaging them with his spikes. A reliable combo starter beginning in update 1.1.3, leading into up tilt, up smash, neutral aerial, forward aerial and up aerial, depending on percentage. When used as Giga Bowser, the spikes zap the foe in each hit except the throw, and is the strongest throw in the game.	8 hits of 0.5%, then 2% (6% total). As Giga Bowser: 8 hits of 2%, then 10% (26% total).
Bowser Jr.	Throws opponent upward.	7%
Captain Falcon	Holds the enemy up and punches them upward with his left hand. Mainly upwards knockback, though it appears to be slightly angled.	4% then 3% (7% total)
Charizard	Flies upward holding its opponent into the air and slams them into the ground at high speed, probably in vein to Seismic Toss. Significantly stronger as of the 1.0.8 update, now outshining Mewtwo's up throw as the strongest in the game (although horizontal DI takes a bigger toll on Charizard's up throw than Mewtwo's).	8% then 3% (11% total)
Cloud	Two spinning kicks, sending the opponent flying upwards. Cloud's second strongest throw, though unable to KO at realistic percentages.	2%, 2.5% then 4% (8.5% total)
Corrin	Lifts the opponent above and assumes dragon form, headbutting them skyward and reverting back to human form. It can KO starting at 160%.	6.5% (first hit), 3% (throw)
Dark Pit	Same as Pit's.	4% then 7% (11% total)
Diddy Kong	Throws opponent up and kicks them. Can be comboed into an up air from mid to high percentages, which can KO if done on a platform.	1% then 4% (5% total)
Donkey Kong	Swings his arm back and throws the opponent. High base knockback but low knockback scaling. Has fast startup, but is inferior to his cargo up throw for followups.	9%
Dr. Mario	Same as Mario's.	8%
Duck Hunt	Dog stands on front two feet and kicks opponent up with back legs.	6%
Falco	Throws opponent upward and shoots up with his Blaster. Same as Fox's, but only shoots once, and the shot causes knockback. A very good combo throw at mid-high percentages.	2 hits of 4% (8% total)
Fox	Throws opponent up and shoots them with his Blaster. The shots can be avoided using DI, deal no knockback, and can be reflected and absorbed.	2%, then 3 shots of 2% (8% total)
Ganondorf	Throws opponent upward and jabs their back. A poor throw that isn't strong enough to KO under 200%, yet its base knockback is too high to be effective at setting up more attacks at low percentages.	7% then 3% (10% total)
Greninja	Thrusts arms straight upward, sending opponent upward. Can KO at high percentages, and is a good combo starter into up air at low to mid percentages.	5%
Ike	Ike throws Ragnell into the ground and uppercuts the target into the air with one hand. Great follow-up potential into a neutral air, forward air, up air or Aether, being faster than his down throw, though also inflicting slightly less hitstun.	3% then 4% (7% total)
Jigglypuff	Spins and sends opponent up. Jigglypuff's strongest throw, although the opponent must be at a very high percentage for it to actually KO.	10%
King Dedede	Hits opponent upward by sticking both his hands upward. Can set up an up aerial against fastfalling opponents at low percentages, and can KO in Sudden Death. It is often neglected and rarely used, however, because of his other throws' more useful options.	5% then 4% (9% total)
Kirby	Kirby flies off the top of the screen, and comes back down violently in an explosion, like a Warp Star item. Based on his Air Drop from his Ninja ability in Kirby Super Star or his Backdrop from Adventure. One of the strongest up thows in the game beginning in update 1.1.3. Meta Knight shares this move as well, except without the explosion.	10%
Link	Throws foe a very short distance above him, then slashes. Can KO at high percentages.	5% then 2% (7% total)
Little Mac	Uppercuts the opponent.	4% then 3% (7% total)
Lucario	Uppercuts the opponent with its paw. Damage and knockback scale with aura, where it is the most damaging throw in the game at max power. Depending on aura and the foe's percentage, it can be comboed into aerial attacks.	7% (0%) 9% (50%) 12% (100%) 16% (150%) 18% (190%+)
Lucas	Psychokinetically throws the opponent straight up. Third strongest up throw in the game.	10%
Lucina	Same as Marth's, but KOs 1% later due to her shorter height.	4%
Luigi	Faces the screen and tosses the enemy upward. It is inferior to his down throw for followups due to its higher knockback, although it can set up combos against fastfallers more reliably than his down throw at low percents.	8%
Mario	Throws his opponent high into the air. Good base knockback, but it has low knockback scaling. It can be followed by an up aerial juggle, but is mostly inferior to the down throw for setting up.	8%
Marth	Powerful upward throw with one arm. This is by far Marth's most powerful throw in terms of knockback, KOing all characters under 200%. It is also the only one of his throws that can KO in Sudden Death.	4%
Mega Man	Throws opponent straight up.	7%
Meta Knight	Like Kirby's, he jumps into the air holding his foe, and then crashes down, but with less KO power and without creating an explosion. It can, however, unexpectedly KO bystanders on the way down.	10%
Mewtwo	Whirls the opponent around itself with psychic force and launches them into the air. The second strongest up throw in the game.	12%
Mii Brawler	Knocks the enemy up with a palm strike.	8%
Mii Gunner	Tosses the enemy above themselves then fires a single energy pellet at the foe.	2% then 3% (5% total)
Mii Swordfighter	Slashes the enemy above their head.	3% then 2% (5% total)
Mr. Game & Watch	Juggles the enemy as a ball and then launches them upward.	8%
Ness	Psychokinetically spins the opponent above his head before sending them up. While it can be used to trick the opponent with PK Thunder, it is generally his least used throw due to his down throw setting up combos much better and his back throw outclassing it in KO power at high percents.	10%
Olimar	Pikmin leaps into the air (while holding opponent), turns the opponent upside-down, then slams them into the ground.	Red: 6.4%; Blue: 12.8%; Yellow: 8%; White: 8%; Purple: 8%.
Pac-Man	Throws opponent straight up with one hand.	5%
Palutena	Shoots opponent upward with her staff.	8%
Peach	Puts opponent above her, and volleys them upward.	2% then 6% (8% total)
Pikachu	Headbutts opponent upward. Can lead into a Thunderspike in certain situations, but is less reliable than using an up tilt or up smash.	1% then 3% (4% total)
Pit	Does a handstand and kicks opponent with both feet. Can KO at higher percentages.	5% then 6% (11% total)
R.O.B.	Grabs opponent, flies them into the air a short distance, turns them upside down, then crashes them into the ground. Can reliably KO at around 150%.	12%
Robin	Thrusts hand upward with Bronze Sword, hitting opponent with the hilt.	9%
Rosalina & Luma	Throws opponent upward using magic.	7%
Roy	Tosses the opponent straight up. Roy's strongest throw, being the only one that can KO in Sudden Death, although it is weaker than Marth's due to having much lower base knockback.	6%
Ryu	Kicks the opponent upward, then brings his leg down. Bystanders hit by the leg attack will take much more damage than the actual thrown opponent.	8% (throw), 15% (kick)
Samus	Spins above her head and blasts opponents upward after zapping them.	5 hits of 1%, then 4% (9% total)
Sheik	Sheik flips upside-down and kicks the enemy with both of her feet.	3% then 2% (5% total)
Shulk	Throws opponent upward, then thrusts the Monado into them. A good followup option if used with the Buster Art, and a decent KO option on floaty characters with the Smash Art. With the Jump Art, it can be followed up with a forward aerial or a buffer art-canceled up aerial, the latter which is inescapable at a range of percents without an air dodge.	3% then 4% (7% total)
Sonic	Tosses the opponent slightly above him, lands on his hands, and launches them upwards by hardening his quills.	1% then 5% (6% total)
Toon Link	Same as Link's, but with less KO power.	5% then 2% (7% total)
Villager	Throws opponent upward out of the net.	10%
Wario	Throws them into the air and jumps up, headbutting them.	4% then 6% (10% total). As Wario-Man: 4% then 13% (17% total).
Wii Fit Trainer	Serves the opponent like a volleyball.	11%
Yoshi	Spits the opponent upwards,unable to KO at realistic percentages.	5%
Zelda	Telekinetically twirls opponent above her head, then releases them upward.	10%
Zero Suit Samus	Flips into the air and kicks the opponent. Can lead into aerial followups, but it has high ending lag, so a down throw is the preferred way to combo into aerials. Otherwise, it is her most powerful throw in terms of knockback, being the only one that can reliably KO in Sudden Death.	2% then 8% (10% total)

Notable up throws[edit]

Characters with notable up throws include:

Mewtwo: The strongest in Melee by far, also the strongest in Smash 4, being the strongest overall in the whole Smash Bros. series, being one of Mewtwo's best finishing moves. In Melee, it can be used to chaingrab or set up combos against fastfallers at low percentages.
Roy: The second strongest in Melee, it can easily be used to chaingrab fastfallers.
Marth: The third strongest in Melee. Just like Roy, it can be used to chaingrab fastfallers.
Fox: Fox's up throw in Melee can easily lead into his up air for a quick KO string at high percentages, especially against fastfallers.
Peach: Peach's up throw is a defining part of her metagame in Melee, being able to chaingrab fastfallers to rack up a large amount of damage, as well as being able to chaingrab large amount of non-fastfallers at low percentages.
Jigglypuff: Similar to Mewtwo's, but with less knockback scaling and higher base knockback. It is notable for allowing the space animal slayer. This move exists in SSB, but with less base knockback and higher knockback scaling, as well as being a forward throw instead.
Mr. Game & Watch: The only up throw in Melee and Brawl to release the opponent at an angle.
Kirby and Meta Knight: Very similar in appearance to a Warp Star, except that the opponent is launched upwards and slammed down with the character, and the trajectory cannot be altered. As with a Warp Star, as Kirby/Meta Knight and the opponent come down from above the stage, it can be used to fall onto to a higher part of the stage (except in Melee where Kirby drops through soft platforms), KOing enemies quicker at stages like Smashville. In Brawl, Kirby's up throw can be used as a Kirbycide from the left edge of the lowermost platform of Temple when facing right, from the right edge of the bottom platform of Skyworld, and from the leftmost part of Final Destination in Melee. In SSB, this move also existed, with almost the same properties as in Brawl, but as a forward throw.
Olimar: The most powerful in Brawl with the purple Pikmin.
Sonic and Meta Knight: Out of the up throws in Brawl, they deliver the highest damage output (not including characters under the effects of Final Smashes; Wario-Man and Giga Bowser), dealing 12% damage. Their up throws have been nerfed in Smash 4 as they deliver less damage.
- With the removal of hitstun canceling in Smash 4, Sonic's up throw has become notable in that, starting at mid percentages, it can be comboed into any aerial (except down air) against any character if the throw is followed up with a Spring Jump, which can also KO them if done on an elevated platform. At low percentages, it can also be comboed into an up air from a grounded jump against most characters.
Charizard: Charizard's up throw in Smash 4 has a similar animation to those of Kirby and Meta Knight, and can as well land on platforms above the location where the throw was started. As of 1.0.8 patch, it has been largely buffed to the point it is the second strongest up throw in Smash 4.
Lucario: The most damaging throw in Smash 4 when Lucario is at full power, dealing 18% damage.
Shulk: A Jump Art-boosted up throw to up aerial is an effective KO combo only escapable via an air dodge (or in a few cases such as Toon Link, with a jump). This combo is known as the Monado Purge. Due to Shulk's ability to buffer-deactivate Monado Arts, this combo is effective at a wide range of percentages.