Explosive Flame

Explosive Flame (, Bursting Flame) is one of Palutena's alternate neutral special moves in Super Smash Bros. 4 and is her side special move in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Overview
Upon using this move, Palutena summons a spherical explosion in front of her a set distance away (increased by a smash input in Ultimate). This explosion expands and engulfs any opponents trapped in it, hitting multiple times before launching opponents, similar to the Smart Bomb. It is unable to hit anyone directly in front of her, but if she is moving – falling or on a moving platform – the explosion will appear in relation to where she was when the button was pressed (indicated by a flash) instead of where she is when the explosion begins.

Customization
Special Move customization was added in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:

Origin
Explosive Flame is an offensive power that Pit or a can use in Kid Icarus: Uprising. It is functionally similar to a Smart Bomb; when used, an explosion appears in front of the user, trapping any enemies and dealing damage. In Uprising, though, this explosion's center lies on the ground forming a hemispherical shape, and is much larger than its incarnation in Smash.

Trivia

 * In the Russian translation of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, this move is known as "Отражающий барьер", which means "Reflective Barrier". This is an error, as it was previously Palutena's side special move in Super Smash Bros. 4.
 * Notably, the move's description accurately describes Explosive Flame, and Reflect Barrier is even properly translated as well, using the same name.
 * Explosive Flame is one of six special moves to have its directional input changed throughout the series. The other five are Boomerang, Pound, Rock Smash, Reflect Barrier and PK Fire.