F.L.U.D.D.

F.L.U.D.D. (, Pump) is Mario's down special move since Super Smash Bros. Brawl, replacing Mario Tornado.

Overview
F.L.U.D.D. is an auto-charge special; thus, pressing the special move button again while charging, or using the move after being fully charged, results in F.L.U.D.D. firing twelve globs of water a distance-dependent on the charge, Like other such auto-charge moves, pressing a shield button while charging will cancel and save the charge, and tilting left or right will make him roll with the same cancel effect (shielding/grabbing while charging in the air would instead cancel it with an air dodge), while getting hit during charging period will lose said charge.

The attack does not deal any damage, instead simply pushing opponents based on the charge level. The water spray can be aimed vertically with the control stick. Should Mario use the move, he will be pushed backward. This can aid horizontal recovery in midair.

In most situations, being pushed by F.L.U.D.D. is merely a nuisance, not doing much but forcing combatants apart. When used judiciously, however, F.L.U.D.D. can be highly effective. Opponents that are attacking will clang with each segment of the water stream, trapping them in significant freeze frames and possibly allowing Mario to approach. More notable is the move's power at gimping - as it deals no damage and doesn't cause the opponent to flinch, it can push opponents away from the stage during their recovery without giving them another chance to use it, often not only further distancing them from the stage but providing momentum in the wrong direction.

While the move does no damage, it is still a Water-effect move in Brawl, and as such it deals extra knockback to and less to.

It was noted on the Dojo that this move can be charged while shielding; however, this is not true, as shielding merely saves the current charge.

With increased push force and range added to F.L.U.D.D. in Smash 4, Mario has a much easier time setting up his opponents to be Caped while they are still off stage. The term "FLUping" was coined by Brawl Karter to describe using the moves in tandem (F.L.U.D.D. to Cape) and denying the opponent the ability to safely recover back to the ledge/stage. When angled down, water is shot at a slightly higher trajectory (16° → 18°), but this leaves a very minimal impact on the move as a whole.

In Ultimate, the move received a variety of buffs granting it even greater potency than previously, most notably further improved range and the universal ability to jump-cancel auto-charge specials.

Aesthetically, if Mario activates F.L.U.D.D., it lingers on his back for a while before disappearing, even if Mario gets Star KO'd or Screen KO'd. This feature is not present in Smash 4 onward.

Aqua jump
An aqua jump occurs when Mario's F.L.U.D.D. or Squirtle's Water Gun hits any jumping character just before they begin to lose momentum. This causes the jump to rapidly speed up and double in height. It is technically not so much of a technique as a misuse of the two aforementioned moves.

Customization
Special Move customization is available in Super Smash Bros. 4. These are the variations:


 * 1) F.L.U.D.D.: Default.
 * 2) Scalding F.L.U.D.D.: An offensive variant of the move. The spray has significantly less range, but it charges faster and does fire damage instead of pushing opponents while keeping them immobile for the duration of the move. Does 9% damage if all hits connect, regardless of charge, although fully charging the move increases its range. Does not kill until extreme percentages, but can lead to follow-ups. The move does not push Mario back as far, making it more punishable and worse for recovery.
 * 3) High-Pressure F.L.U.D.D.: The push effect of the water is drastically stronger than the default, so much so that when uncharged, it is the same strength as the default move fully charged. At lower charge levels it has less range than the default, but fully charging the move gives it slightly more range than the default. In return, it takes nearly twice as long to fully charge and has roughly triple the recoil distance on the ground, as well as slightly more recoil in the air. Mario will aim the nozzle slightly downwards by default instead of straight ahead.

Origin
F.L.U.D.D., short for Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device, made its debut as a character and Mario's companion in . It is an artificially intelligent water pack created by equipped with a water tank, two handles, and a yellow nozzle, from which it can communicate through.

At the beginning of his vacation on, Mario encounters F.L.U.D.D. on the Delfino Airstrip after the plane that he, Princess Peach, , and other accompanying Toads were on makes a rough landing as the runway was blocked by a large graffiti made of a strange, paint-like goop. After Mario washes away the goop and defeats the, Mario and F.L.U.D.D. collect a , but are wrongly arrested by two police officers and found guilty of polluting Isle Delfino with the graffiti which subsequently scattered the Shine Sprites. It is later revealed that the true culprit was Shadow Mario, the shadowy counterpart of Mario who was actually Bowser Jr. in disguise who framed Mario to kidnap Princess Peach.

After clearing the seventh episode of each area on Isle Delfino, Delfino Plaza is flooded by a surge of water from the base of where Bowser, and Bowser Jr. are relaxing in a hot tub at the top of the volcano, where Peach is with them. Mario and F.L.U.D.D. destroy the supporting platforms around the hot tub, leading for everyone present to plummet from the volcano. Mario and Peach land on an island just outside of Delfino Plaza, but F.L.U.D.D. was damaged by the fall and shuts down. Later, F.L.U.D.D. is repaired and carried to Mario and Peach by two Toads.

As Mario's main companion and equipment, F.L.U.D.D. is primarily used to shoot water from its nozzle. It can be used to wash away the goop, push away smaller enemies, and/or stun them momentarily. If the water tank is emptied, Mario is required to refill it using the nearest source of water.

Spirit
F.L.U.D.D. appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as an Advanced-class support spirit. It can only be purchased at Timmy & Tommy's.

Trivia

 * In Super Mario Sunshine, F.L.U.D.D. is used while above and behind Mario's head. In Smash, it is shown being used next to his head, with Mario grabbing the nozzle.
 * If paused at the right time, when F.L.U.D.D. has just finished charging, the player can see a small pulse of water move outwards from Mario. If paused exactly when F.L.U.D.D. is generated, the player can sometimes see it without the belt on Mario.
 * F.L.U.D.D. is one of three auto-charging down specials in the Super Smash Bros. series, the others being R.O.B.'s Gyro and Cloud's Limit Charge.

Technical details

 * Mario (SSBB)/Down special
 * Mario (SSB4)/Down special
 * Mario (SSBU)/Down special

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