Beastball


 * "Baseball" redirects here. For the universe, see 

Throw it, and it will disappear in the air then reappear near an opponent, covered in flames. The Beastball (, Devil Ball) is an item in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Origin
The Beastball is a originating from the real-life sport of the same name. The name is a portmanteau that includes the word "beast", reflecting its behavior of chasing opponents. Its Japanese name refers to makyu, Japanese baseball jargon initially used to describe exceptional throws made by pitchers, but has since been adopted by Japanese media, particularly manga and anime, to describe unrealistic or superhuman pitching techniques. This use was popularized by the 60's baseball manga , where the main character, Hyūma Hoshi, performs a similar pitching technique named (Disappearing Devil Ball), wherein the baseball disappears near the strike zone and suddenly reappears at the catcher's mitt. The Beastball also happens to resemble the Ultra Machine Boss Microgame from WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! (itself based off the real-life Nintendo toy), in which the baseball can disappear and reappear when thrown to be struck by a bat.

Mechanics
The Beastball functions as a throwable projectile item. After being thrown, the Beastball will initially travel a short distance forward as expected, but will quickly disappear in a flash of blue flame and reappear next to the nearest opponent, targeting them with a flaming tackle. If the initial throw hits an opponent, that foe is guaranteed to be hit by the second tackle. The second tackle has very high accuracy, being capable of hitting opponents even if they're already experiencing high knockback. Dropping the Beastball with a Z-drop seems to not activate it unless it hits an enemy, causing it to target anyone. Additionally, if the ball hits an enemy but touches the ground before it teleports, it won’t activate.

Spirits
Equipping the Slugger & Green Glove, Pitcher & Batter, Inuji Darumeshi, or Rusty Slugger support spirits will give the player a Beast Ball at a start of their stock.

Trivia

 * The Beastball is one of the two existing items original to the Smash Bros. series that represent the game of baseball; the other is the Home-Run Bat.
 * The Beastball will target the ducks on the stage.
 * The tip regarding this item implies that the ball hits multiple times after reappearing, which is false, as it only hits once. It is unknown if this is a leftover beta element that was changed without also changing the tip.
 * The Beastball cannot spawn on Living Room or King of Fighters Stadium.