Burning Knuckle / Crack Shoot

Burning Knuckle (, Burn Knuckle) and Crack Shoot (, Crack Shoot) are the two variations of Terry's side special move in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Overview
Tilting the control stick towards the opponent (or towards Terry's front in matches with more than two players) will make Terry perform Burning Knuckle, wherein he lunges towards his opponent with an energy punch while shouting "Burn Knuckle!", "Burn!", or "Burning!" It is a powerful attack, dealing more damage and knockback during its initial frames, though it has noticeable startup, as Terry performs a pose before punching. When inputted as ↓↘→ + A or B, it will become even stronger, with subtle green-yellow trails added to the blue energy flames. If Burning Knuckle reaches the ledge, it will often hang there for a moment, though Tiger Knee can allow it to go off-stage; both variations make for strong edgeguarding in different situations.

Tilting the left stick away from the opponent (or towards Terry's back in matches with more than two players) will have him perform Crack Shoot instead, where he jumps and spins his body with his leg extended while shouting "Crack Shoot!" or "Kick back!" This attack hits twice: The first hit occurs while Terry's foot is being brought from the back and then spun upward, possessing a semi-spike knockback angle. This is intended to draw fighters into the stronger second hit, which occurs once Terry drops his leg and sends opponents on a more vertical trajectory. The first hit's knockback angle is unusually steep, and if one manages to hit an opponent so that the second hit does not connect, such as hitting an opponent hanging on the ledge, it can function as an effective gimping tool. The stronger variant is inputted as ↓↙← + A or B. Hitting with the foot only deals an extra 20 HP of shield damage, making for very strong pressure alongside moves like Power Wave and special-canceled. Crack Shoot can be supported with Tiger Knee to have significantly stronger air control, especially in tandem with Power Wave.

Both of these moves can also be used to assist in horizontal recovery, with Crack Shoot having less ending lag, but travelling a shorter distance than Burning Knuckle. Neither move auto-sweetspots the ledge, but are very well-guarded thanks to their large, long-lasting hitboxes.

To perform a Burning Knuckle towards Terry's back on the ground without initiating Crack Shoot, the player must tilt the stick toward Terry's back for at least 7 frames before pressing the special move button. To Crack Shoot towards Terry's back while in the air, the player must do similarly, holding back for at least 7 frames before pushing the special move button. Due to these mechanics regarding Crack Shoot, it is impossible to use Burning Knuckle towards Terry's back while in the air. These hold frames cannot be partitioned like Rising Tackle's charge input.

Canceling
Terry can perform a Burning Knuckle or Crack Shoot out of certain standard attacks, as part of his special move canceling mechanic. By pressing the side special input or command input after connecting certain standard attacks, Terry will cancel the ending lag of the attack and perform either a Burning Knuckle or a Crack Shoot depending on the input. Both are commonly used out of at lower percentages, Burning Knuckle being used pre-tumble, and Crack Shoot being used later. However, Crack Shoot is viable earlier for the situations it provides. is also a notable move for confirming Burning Knuckle at around 125%, allowing Terry to secure KOs; multiple down tilts can be used for higher damage.

Burning Knuckle can itself be cancelled into Terry's Final Smash, Triple Wolf, as can the first hit of Crack Shoot.

Origin
Burning Knuckle and Crack Shoot, originally named "Burn Knuckle" and "Super Shot Kick" respectively, have been two of Terry's special moves ever since his debut title, Fatal Fury: King of Fighters. The fact that both are assigned the same role of a side special but have different stick motions is a reference to how they have nearly identical inputs across most of the Fatal Fury and King of Fighters series,

Burning Knuckle is typically performed with ↓ ↙ ← + light/heavy punch, notably the inverse of the input in Ultimate. Crack Shoot is typically performed with ↓ ↙ ← + light/heavy kick. In both cases, the heavy version travels further and deals more damage than the light version, but has much longer recovery time to compensate.

Originally, Burning Knuckle had red flames, though this would change to blue in Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory. This became a staple of his character, being featured in the King of Fighters series and other crossovers. Crack Shoot's shield damage is a reference to its usage as an overhead against crouchblocking opponents, allowing it to connect despite the block attempt. Its multiple hits originated in Fatal Fury Special and would later be a core part of its design.

Trivia

 * This is the first side special move that changes depending on the direction used.
 * While outside of a 1-on-1, Burning Knuckle can activate from the other direction, Crack Shoot is still used if the stick is tapped the opposite direction that Terry is facing.
 * Although Burning Knuckle's command input uses a quarter circle forward input in Smash, the input for the move in Fatal Fury is usually quarter circle backward. This is likely to simplify the command inputs in Smash, as Crack Shoot’s input is also quarter circle backward in Fatal Fury, only with a different attack button.
 * Despite its name, Burning Knuckle does not deal flame damage.